Chela reaches Bucharest semi finals

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Chela reaches Bucharest semi finals

Defending champion Juan Ignacio Chela has continued his easy progress at the Romanian event with a straight set win against Andres Seppi who the Argentine defeated 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter finals.

The two managed to exchange seven breaks in the opener, four of which being taken by Chela who claimed the first lead thanks to a late break. Seppi also converted three out of six break points but was unable to stay in touch with a tie break. Chela dominated the second set, as well, stealing a couple of more services from the Italian who could only convert one out of four break points.

Chela, winner of the 2010 edition, finished the game with six breaks, five aces, a 64 firsts serve percentage and two double faults, winning at the same time 56 percent of return points and 55 of service ones.

On the other side, Seppi came up with a 57 first serve percentage, two aces, a couple of double faults and four breaks. He also won 44 percent of service points and 45 of return ones. Chela will next meet Pablo Andujar, who is also chasing his first title of the season.

The Spaniard beat Alessandro Giannessi in two sets 6-3, 6-4 to set his third ever meeting with the world number 23 Argentine. Fourth seed Andujar, who reached this term’s Stuttgart final,  broke the Italian twice in the opener and once more in the second term, grabbing the victory in over one hour and a half.

Andujar, who is also finalist of the 2010 Bucharest edition, won 79 percent of first serve points, 44 of return ones, hit three aces and committed a couple of double faults. He converted at the same time 64 percent of service points, compared to his opponent who came up with a 62 first serve percentage, a 36 return one, an ace and four double faults.

Overall, Andujar picked three breaks in three ties, while Giannessi, who had previously ousted Frederigo Gil only converted one out of ten break points. The Spaniard will meet Chela for the third time ever in what is expected to be a reiteration of last term’s final.

The 32 year old Chela leads the head to head series 2-0 with the first win dating from the 2009 Vina del Mar event. En route to the semi final, Chela has also ousted Florent Serra 6-1, 6-0 in his debut, while Andujar also follows a 6-2, 6-3 win over Romanian Marius Copil.

Concerning the second half of the draw, second seed Florian Mayer has booked a spot into the best four with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Albert Ramos. The Austrian broke his opponent twice in the opener and a couple of more times in the second term when he also saved two break points from Ramos.

Mayer, who faced no difficulty in getting rid of the Spaniard, won at the same time 69 percent of first serve points, 54 of return ones, hit three aces and committed three double faults. He also came up with a 71 service percentage and four out of ten break conversions, compared to Albert’s 52 first serve percentage, 29 return one and a double fault.

Mayer will next meet Filippo Volandri who beat Joao Souza 6-2, 6-0 in the final eight term. The Italian converted four out of six break points only in the opener during which he also managed to save one out of three break points from Souza who was very close to breaking the rhythm at one point.

Unfortunately, the Brazilian conceded all his services in the second set, allowing Volandri to break him three more times. The Italian finished the clash with a 80 first serve percentage, an impressive 78 return one and an ace. He also won 58 percent of service points and converted seven out of 11 break points.

As for Souza, his showing included a 72 first serve percentage, a 42 return one and a poor 22 service percentage. “This was my best day so far this week,” said the Italian after the game. “I played good already last week. This is my third semifinal here, I need points and this is one of the last weeks on clay. Mayer is a tough player who doesn’t give you any rhythm.”

En route to the semi final, Volandri has also picked a 6-1, 6-3 win against Marcel Granollers, while Mayer has also defeated Carlos Berlocq in thee sets. World number 86 will meet Mayer for the second time, the head to head series between the two having gone 1-0 to the 27 year old Austrian whose only win comes from the 2005 Sopot tournament.

Bucharest Prize Money and points:

Winner – 67,750 euro and 250 points ATP

Finalist – 35,600 euro and 150 points ATP

Semi finalist – 19,300 euro and 90 points ATP

Quarter finalist – 11,000 euro and 45 points ATP

R16 – 6,465 euro and 20 points ATP

R28 – 3,845 euro and zero points

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