Marin, My Avenging Angel

I have so been short-changing the men this week. I know this. But the women are right there, on my TV, being by turns awesome and woeful. And it’s the last time we’ll see the top girls for like a month or something, so, you know. Sue me. Or go to a different blog. (Do not go to a different blog.)

Anyway. Marin made me the happiest woman alive for about five seconds today by beating my second least-favourite player, Feliciano Lopez, into a bloody pulp like a red-headed stepchild in straight sets to make the semis of Lyon today. He’ll face Philipp Kohlschreiber, who’s beaten him once this year, so that should go well. The other semi-final will be contested between homeboy Jurgen Melzer, who took out second seed Radek Stepanek, and Janko Tipsarevic, who somewhat bizarrely beat Gael Monfils 63 in the third. Could this be Tipsy’s second ATP final – in as many weeks, no less? Stay tuned.

Lyon probably gets the ‘WTF?’ award for the day, as Arnaud Clement (who had lost about fifteen matches in a row until recently) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, saving a match point or two along the way. He’ll face sole non-painting-slasher Ivan Ljubicic in the semis. The other one will be contested between Gilles Simon and wildcard Michael Llodra, who seems to do bizarrely well at this small(er) tournaments on home soil. So we’ll see.

And in St Petersburg, Marat Safin is into the semifinals after a typically lopsided victory over Uzbekistan’s finest, Denis Istomin. He’ll be joined by Argentine Horacio Zeballos, Igor Kunitsyn and Sergiy Stakhovsky. But hey … Marat!

 

Lyon

Singles – Quarter-finals
[WC] A Clement (FRA) d [1] J Tsonga (FRA) 57 64 76(8) – saved 1 M.P.
[2] G Simon (FRA) d [5] J Benneteau (FRA) 76(5) 63
[3] I Ljubicic (CRO) d F Serra (FRA) 76(6) 62
[WC] M Llodra (FRA) d M Gicquel (FRA) 76(5) 64

Doubles – Semi-finals
[WC] J Benneteau (FRA) / N Mahut (FRA) d M Melo (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 62 67(4) 10-4

St Petersburg

Singles – Quarter-finals
I Kunitsyn (RUS) d [2] V Hanescu (ROU) 63 36 76(6)
[8] H Zeballos (ARG) d E Gulbis (LAT) 76(8) 64
M Safin (RUS) d D Istomin (UZB) 60 76(4)
[Q] S Stakhovsky (UKR) d B Phau (GER) 62 75

Doubles – Semi-finals
J Chardy (FRA) / R Gasquet (FRA) d [WC] M Elgin / T Gabashvili (RUS) 76(3) 61

Vienna

Singles – Quarter-finals
[1] [WC] M Cilic (CRO) d [6] F Lopez (ESP) 61 64
[7] J Melzer (AUT) d [2] R Stepanek (CZE) 62 62
J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [3] G Monfils (FRA) 64 67(8) 63
[4] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [5] N Almagro (ESP) 75 64

Doubles – Semi-finals
[3] L Kubot (POL) / O Marach (AUT) d J Isner (USA) / J Kerr (AUS) 64 36 10-6

Doubles – Quarter-finals
[4] J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) d M Cilic (CRO) / L Zovko (CRO) 76(1) 75