Berdych trumps Bautista Agut for spot in quarters

A two-time semi-finalist at Melbourne Park, Berdych is now set to face either third seed Roger Federer in his sixth successive Australian Open quarter-final.

Published : Jan 24, 2016 19:04 IST , Melbourne Park

Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych was tested throughout but kept his composure at crucial moments to post a hard-fought win.
Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych was tested throughout but kept his composure at crucial moments to post a hard-fought win.
lightbox-info

Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych was tested throughout but kept his composure at crucial moments to post a hard-fought win.

Sixth seed Tomas Berdych advanced to yet another Australian Open quarter-final after prevailing against Roberto Bautista Agut in five sets on Sunday. Berdych was tested throughout but kept his composure at crucial moments to post a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory on Margaret Court Arena.

> Matchcentre

A two-time semi-finalist at Melbourne Park, Berdych is now set to face either third seed Roger Federer or David Goffin in his sixth successive Australian Open quarter-final. Bautista Agut came into the contest with a 4-23 record against top-10 players on the ATP Tour, but relatively confident given two of those wins were over Berdych.

The Spanish 24th seed, who matched his best grand slam run with Sunday's fourth-round clash, gained the early ascendency by converting a backhanded volley at 30-40 to go up a break in the fifth game and he never relinquished the lead as he closed out the opening set.

Having struggled to get going, Berdych was visibly tense during the early exchanges of the second set, venting his frustration at the umpire after birds were seen swooping across court mid-rally. But Berdych slowly found his rhythm, breaking Bautista Agut's serve in the 10th and decisive game to level the match.

Bautista Agut was up against it in the third, fending off seven break points in the fourth game, though he eventually came unstuck in his next service game as the latter powered into a commanding position at the start of the fourth. The fourth set, however, belonged to Bautista Agut, who won 23 of his 37 baseline points to force a decider, only for Berdych to return to his best when it mattered most, despite being broken as he initially served for the match at 5-1.

 

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN

Berdych [6] bt Bautista Agut [24] 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3

ACES

Berdych - 18

Bautista Agut - 6

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Berdych - 66/57

Bautista Agut - 37/46

BREAK POINTS WON

Berdych - 4/22

Bautista Agut - 4/9

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE

Berdych - 62

Bautista Agut - 67

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE

Berdych - 73/50

Bautista Agut - 65/62

TOTAL POINTS

Berdych - 140

Bautista Agut - 144

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment