Sam Querrey advances to the quarterfinals of the Los Cabos Open
American Sam Querrey had to recover his service twice and resort to a tie-break in the third set to defeat his compatriot Evan King 6-4, 4-6 and 7-6 (2) and advance to the quarterfinals of the Los Cabos Open.
Champion of Acapulco struggles in the debut of the tournament
The Acapulco champion did not offer his best performance, with little mobility and not finding his first serve, and he was close to facing another elimination in the debut of the tournament in Baja California Sur, similar to what happened last year with Colombian Santiago Giraldo.
Querrey uses his arsenal and experience to secure victory
However, he used all his skills and experience to recover and achieve a victory that brings him closer to his goal of winning both national titles.
"It was difficult, he is a dangerous player. He won two matches in the qualifying rounds and then in the first round. He was feeling good. On the other hand, it was my first match on hard court in several months, which can be complicated. Sometimes it's about overcoming the early rounds of these tournaments and improving for the next matches," stated Querrey.
First set: Slow rhythm with few opportunities
The first set, with the heat factor, had a slow rhythm. Both players were waiting from the baseline and relying on their serve. They only had one break opportunity each, without success, until they reached 3-3.
Querrey overcomes challenges and takes the first set
In the seventh game, Querrey faced another break point, but resolved it with a 221-kilometer-per-hour ace. Just when the match seemed to have no dominator, Sam, leading 5-4, went for his opponent's serve and succeeded with a long ball from King, who had eliminated Mexican Manuel Sánchez in the first round.
Second set: Querrey struggles as King takes the lead
The second chapter started in the worst possible way for the Wimbledon semifinalist, with a 0-30, which soon turned into a double break against him. Evan took advantage of it with a great cross-court forehand. The script changed, with the world's 347th player being more aggressive, closing the spaces and cutting off Querrey's power.
Querrey fights back and takes the second set
Sam was out of the match, and trailing 2-4, he again lost his serve after a couple of double faults. Evan served for the set but struggled, allowing his opponent to come back to 4-5. The Acapulco champion regained his aggression, hit deeper shots, and troubled his compatriot, who managed to escape the problem and won the set 6-4, despite the suffering.
Third set: Dramatic moments and a tie-break
The start of the third set was similar to the second. Querrey gave his opponent three break opportunities, and Evan took advantage, rushing to the net. The usual composure of the ATP 24th player disappeared, and on his way to the bench, he broke his racket and threw it towards the drinks stand.
Querrey triumphs in the tie-break and ends King's challenge
With a 1-2 score, the services exchanged. Sam broke first, then King, and again the second seed, ending the set 3-3. Evan forced the tie-break a few games later and celebrated by requesting support from the crowd. However, Sam's strength emerged in the tie-break. He started with a 198-kilometer serve and immediately got the mini-break to reach 4-1. He didn't make any mistakes from then on and sealed the match point, ending the challenge called King.