Youzhny ends Raonic’s reign
Berdych beats Kuznetsov in tough three-setter to book last-eight spot in St Petersburg Open
>> ST PETERSBURG: Canadian Milos Raonic’s reign as St Petersburg Open champion is over after he suffered a second-round defeat to Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny on Thursday.
Wimbledon finalist Raonic, sixth in the ATP rankings, fired 13 aces but to no avail as 2004 champion here Youzhny battled back from a set down to win 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.
Big serving second seed Raonic, who enjoyed an opening round bye, broke twice in the first set to take it in 32 minutes but Youzhny won the tiebreak in the second to level at 1-1.
In the deciding set Youzhny, 34, broke in the ninth game to close out his win in two hours 34 minutes.
Youzhny improved his record in St Petersburg to a tournament-best 33-12, including the 2004 title and two other finals. He said he felt he was playing his best tennis in three years, when he last won a title, and was fired up by the Russian crowd.
“It’s only possible in St Petersburg,” he said.
In his third quarter-final of the year, Youzhny will take on Germany’s Alexander Zverev, fifth seed here, who beat Daniil Medvedev of Russia 6-3, 7-5, for a place in the semi-finals.
Third seed Czech Thomas Berdych, who returned to action after his withdrawal from the US Open due to appendicitis, scraped into the quarter-finals through a tough threesetter against Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4).
Berdych will next face Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi, 34, who saw off French qualifier Alexandre Sidorenko 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Serb Viktor Troicki, seeded seventh, cruised into the last eight with a 6-4, 6-4 win over a compatriot Dusan Lajovic, while eighth seed Joao Sousa of Portugal beat Russian wildcard Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-3.
RADWANSKA ROLLS ON
Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Rio Olympics gold medallist Monica Puig yesterday to set up a semi-final showdown with Caroline Wozniacki at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Second-seeded Radwanska, of Poland, smashed eight aces in overpowering the Puerto Rican 6-2, 6-3.
Wozniacki beat Polish qualifier Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3. Wozniacki won 79 percent of points on her first serve, including 90 percent in the first set.
She holds an 8-4 head-to-head advantage against Radwanska.
Japanese wildcard Naomi Osaka reached her first world tour semifinals after beating Belarussian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).
Spanish top seed Garbine Muguruza was due to face Russian eighth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last quarter-final match of the day.