The
Hypo Group Tennis International 2006
Final Match Results: 21. Mai, 2005 Top seed Nikolay Davydenko became on Saturday the twelfth champion of the Internationaler BTM-Power Grand Prix in St. Poelten after claiming a three-set victory over local Jurgen Melzer. The Russian needed two hours and 50 minutes to defeat the No. 4 seed 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 and recorded a second career win over the Austrian, whom he had previously defeated in Monte-Carlo earlier this year. The Russian, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race, seemed to have the upper hand when he led 3-0 in the final set, but the lefty Austrian came back to 3-3. They then held serve until Davydenko took Melzer’s serve in the last game. No. 4 seed Jurgen Melzer was looking to lift a first career trophy in front of his home crowd. The Vienna native, who is turning 24 on Sunday, was playing in his first final of the year and second overall career final (Newport 2003), having reached the semifinals in San Jose and Houston earlier in the season. On his way to the final Davydenko defeated Michal Mertinak, Sjeng Schalken, Felix Mantilla and Jose Acasuso while Melzer took care of Marco Mirnegg, Gilles Muller, David Sanchez and Christophe Rochus. WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID... Davydenko: “It feels great to finally win a first trophy this year. This final was really difficult but I am feeling great at the moment and my confidence level is good which is the most important thing.” “Before Roland Garros this is great for the confidence although it is a little bit hard physically. The day after tomorrow I could be playing my first round in Paris and it doesn’t give me much time to celebrate and fully recover from this week." “I am off to Paris tonight, I will try to hit a few balls tomorrow in order to get used to the conditions and it would be great if I can get a Tuesday start over there.” Melzer: “I am of course disappointed, it is never easy to lose in a final 6-4 in the third. I think I played a great match and Nikolay was just the most active player at the end and that was what made the difference in the match today.” “I came back from 3-0 love down in the third set but unfortunately he didn’t let me use the momentum and he played great tennis. “ “This is definitely a great week and a confidence boost before the Roland Garros but it also means a lack of fitness in Paris. I played many matches this week, a lot of three setters and both singles and doubles, it is a lot of matches.” I am leaving to Paris tomorrow and I really hope I can get a Tuesday start over there.”
20. Mai, 2005
Melzer was the first player to clinch a final berth, recording a straight-set victory over in-form Belgian Christophe Rochus. Seeded No. 4, the 23-year-old Austrian, who was playing in his third semifinal of the year (San Jose, Houston) needed 1 hour, 11 minutes to defeat Rochus, 6-4, 6-3. In the second semifinal, top seed Nikolay Davydenko recorded a third career win over Argentine Jose Acasuso to advance to his first final of the year. Davydenko, who has shown great form on the European clay in the past weeks, having reached the semifinals of Barcelona and Hamburg, booked his place in the final with a 6-4, 6-2 win in 1 hour, 20 minutes. WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID... Davydenko: “In the first set I wasn't feeling great. I wasn't concentrating at ll on the match, my body was tired and feeling strange but I managed to win it in the end which made things easier. In the second set, I got more into the match, started to play and feel better and foughtevery single point which allowed me to close the match easily.” About playing Jurgen Melzer in the final: “I expect a difficult match tomorrow but I think that if I am not tired and fit I can win any match. I will definitely try to be more concentrated and not make any silly mistake.” Melzer: "What made the difference today is that I played much better than the last couple of days, and from the very beginning I put a lot of pressure on his serve forcing him to come up with good shots to hold serves. When we were rallying from the baseline I tried to come in as much as possible and it worked well. I know I don't play everyday like, but I really feel that today there is not much to say about my game.” About being in his second career final: “It will be for sure a tough match for me because I lost to both guys once this year. If I play like today I really think I can win this match, and especially in front of the home crowd, I am going to do everything I can to win.” On his condition: “It has been a tough week for me. I have played many matches in singles and doubles. I am still in both draws, but when you are in front on home crowd, everything is fine.” FINAL PREVIEW: No. 4 seed Jurgen Melzer is looking to lift a first career trophy in front of his home crowd when he takes on top seed Nikolay Davydenko. 23-year-old Melzer, who is playing in his second career final after Newport 2003 (l. to Robby Ginepri) is hoping to record a first career win over the Russian from Moscow, to whom he has previously lost once (2005 ATP Masters Series Monte-Carlo). Melzer, who is playing in St. Poelten for the fifth time, recorded his best result in 2004 when he lost in the semifinals against Xavier Malisse, and now holds a 9-4 singles record at the tournament. Currently ranked No. 10 in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race, Davydenko is hoping to clinch a first title of 2005 and fifth overall career title (Adelaide, Estoril – 2003; Munich, Moscow – 2004). The 2003 St. Poelten finalist (l. to Andy Roddick), is looking on Saturday to improve his 2005 record to 27-14. Copyright © ATP 19. Mai, 2005
Acasuso defeated fast-rising Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-4 in their rain-delayed second round meeting and then backed up to beat German qualifier Michael Kohlmann 6-2, 7-6(5) in the quarterfinals. Acasuso took and early 4-0 lead and held serve to close the first set 6-2. In the second set, both players held serve until the tie-break. Acasuso served 5 aces and 2 double faults and never faced a break point in the first set and saved both break points in the second set. In the semifinals Acasuso will meet top seed Nikolay Davydenko, who defeated Felix Mantilla Rochus has followed up his surprise run to the Masters Series Rome semifinals by reaching the St. Poelten semifinals. Like Acasuso, Rochus had to win two matches Thursday, first defeating Davide Sanguinetti 6-3, 6-3 in the second round and then Guillermo Garcia Lopez 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Rochus next meets fourth-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who needed more than two hours to defeat Spanish qualifier David Sanchez 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Sanchez took an early 2-0 lead in the final set but Melzer broke back at 2-3. Sanchez broke again in the seventh game but lost his serve right back and lost three consecutive games and the match. WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID... Davydenko: "The key today has been my plan for the whole week. Try to play short point, hit some winners and serve well." "I have been playing many matches lately and after Hamburg I was really tired. I feel already much better because I played three good and short matches which helped me to recover from last week. This is great preparation for Roland Garros next week." Acasuso: "The key today was that I kept my concentration in the two matches, this morning against Nicolas Almagro and this afternoon against Michael Kohlmann. I saw that Kohlmann was a little tired after all the matches he played here and I focused on controlling the points and making him run as much as possible." "I play next against Nikolay Davydenko who is a very tough opponent. He has been playing extremely well lately, but I feel really confident and am playing well at the moment so I believe in my chances." "I am feeling well physically. I am happy about my game these past days, winning matches is really good for me and probably the best preparation right before Roland Garros." Melzer: "Today I never stopped fighting and believing in myself and this why I won because I think I played today my worst tennis in this past year. At the end, in the last three game I played a little better, put some pressure on his backhand, came in to the net and made him hit a few passing shots. “ “If I play Christophe Rochus tomorrow, it will be difficult because he is in good form at the moment. I think it will be a similar game to today.” FRIDAY PREVIEW Davydenko has won four career titles, including Munich and Moscow last year. Acasuso is appearing in his second semifinal of the year (Buenos Aires). The Argentine’s two career titles have both come on clay: Bucharest (2004) and Sopot (2002). In search of his first ATP title, fourth seed Jurgen Melzer will appear in his third semifinal of the year when he plays in-form Christophe Rochus. Melzer recently reached the semifinals of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships (l. to Roddick). Belgian Christophe Rochus is 13-10 on the year and is fast closing on his career-best season of 15-23 in 2000. He has won between 10 and 15 matches a season for the past five years. Rochus last week achieved his best career result by advancing to the semifinals of Masters Series Rome (l. to Gasquet). 18. Mai, 2005 The weather was the big winner at the Internationaler BTM-Power Grand Prix on in St. Poelten as rain forced the postponement of all matches on Wednesday. As a result, Thursday will be a busy day, with 11 matches being played, including all four singles quarterfinals. Play will begin two and one half hours earlier than originally scheduled to accommodate the extra matches. Copyright © ATP 17. Mai, 2005 Belgian Cristophe Rochus, coming off a career-best ATP Masters Series result as a Hamburg semifinalist, took out second seed Paradorn Srichaphan 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday in one of four first round matches on the schedule. Srichaphan won the opening game of the match, but lost six in a row to drop the first set as Rochus won all but nine points on his first serve and never battled a break chance. The Thai star again led early in the second, going up 2-0 before dropping four straight games. German qualifier Michael Kohlmann battled to a 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over No. 8 Tomas Zib. Kohlmann saved six match points before coming out on top. Zib led 6-2, 5-2 and twice served for the match but was unable to finish it. In the tie-break, he held leads of 6-1 and 7-6 but was again unable to come away with the win. The six match points saved by Kohlmann are the most for a player this season. Also in first round action, Romanian Victor Hanescu downed Jan Hernych 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, and Italian Davide Sanguinetti defeated Jiri Vanek 6-4, 6-2. Enjoying a home-country advantage, Melzer got through his second round match, defeating Gilles Muller 6-2 6-7 (5) 7-5. Melzer held a 6-2, 4-2 lead, but the Luxembourgian came from behind to level the match at one set apiece. In the decisive third set, Muller went up a break in the seventh game, and then served for the match at 5-4, but three straight games to the Austrian decided the match. Melzer had four aces and four double faults, compared to 10 of each for Muller. Davydenko, the 2003 runner-up, needed just 1:14 to reach the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Sjeng Schalken. Breaks in the first and eighth games gave Davydenko the opening set, and the Russian used a pair of breaks in the second set to go up 5-0 before finishing out the match. Davydenko saved all seven break points he faced. In a 2:37 marathon, Spanish wild card Felix Mantilla dispatched of No. 5 seed Mariano Puerta 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-5. After both players held serve through the opening set, Puerta gained an advantage by breaking Mantilla to start the second set. Mantilla finally broke back in the final game of the match to secure the victory. Mantilla hit 11 aces in the victory while Puerta fired 13. Potito Starace, the No. 7 seed, was also an upset victim. Qualifier David Sanchez of Spain defeated the Italian 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday. The upsets weren't limited to singles, as the top seeded doubles team of Cyril Suk and Pavel Vizner from the Czech Republic lost their second round match to countrymen Petr Pala and Tomas Zib. Second seeds Lucas Arnold and Paul Hanley advanced in first round action on Tuesday, as did the team of Rick Leach and Travis Parrott, and that of Robby Ginepri and Jordan Kerr. WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID... Melzer: "At 6-2, 4-2, I think I took it a little too easy. He was missing a lot of balls and it was tough to concentrate because things were going fast and easy for me. All of a sudden He broke me, started playing better and got back in the game. He is a good player, and was able to pull the tie-break his way." "Being 5-3 down in the third, you don't win everyday and today, being in front of home crowd was definitely a very special moment for me." "My next match is either Potito Starace or David Sanchez, two clay court specialists who like to hit forehands. The key for me will be to look for their backhands, come in to the net and make them hit a lot of passing shots. I think I have my chances and I really hope to go far in this tournament." Copyright © ATP 16. Mai, 2005 Top seed Nikolay Davydenko advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Slovakian qualifier Michal Mertinak. Breaks of serve in the third and ninth game of the opening set put Davydenko up early. The players exchanged breaks early in the second set, but Davydenko, who faced only two break points all day, prevailed in straight sets. Davydenko advances to play Sjeng Schalken, who was a winner yesterday. Schalken owns a 2-1 advantage all-time against the Russian, including a three set win in Marseille in February. Austrian native and No. 4 seed Jurgen Melzer defeated countryman and wild card entrant Marco Mirnegg 6-3, 6-1. Melzer broke in the second game and led 3-0 before Mirnegg leveled the match at 3-all. Mirnegg proceeded to lose seven consecutive games, to put the match out of reach. Fifth seed Mariano Puerta defeated Alex Calatrava 7-5, 6-2. After Puerta took a 4-1 lead, Calatrava battled back to make it 4-4, but Puerta recorded his third break of the opening set in the decisive 12 th game. A break in the fifth game of the second set secured Puerta's victory. Seventh seed Potito Starace downed Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-6 (2) to advance to the second round. Nicolas Almagro bested big-serving Ivo Karlovic in a pair of tie-breaks for a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) win, while Spanish wild card Felix Mantilla outlasted countryman and qualifier Francisco Fogues 7-6 (10), 7-5. Gilles Muller advanced after taking the first set when Albert Montanes retired with a lower back injury. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and David Sanchez were also winners on Monday. In doubles, the top seeded team of Cyril Suk and Pavel Vizner advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Daniel Koellerer and Peter Luczak. Also winning in doubles were the teams of Graydon Oliver and Jared Palmer and that of Petr Pala and Tomas Zib. WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID... Davydenko: "I am happy that I won quite easily today because I feel really tired. I am coming off a strong week in Hamburg last week and it was not easy to be fit on the court today." "My goal this week is to play relaxed and to try to rest and recover from last week." "My next match is against Sjeng Schalken, it will be difficult. He doesn't like to play long points and tries to go for winners most of the time. I hope I will be in good form." Copyright © ATP 15. Mai, 2005 Horna needed three sets and over two and a half hours to dispatch of Austrian wild card Daniel Koellerer. The No. 6 seed served up eight aces compared to none for his opponent in the 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 match. Koellerer never faced a break point in the opening set, and claimed it with a break of the Peruvian in the 10 th and final game. Horna broke the Austrian twice in the second set to level the match. Horna went ahead in the match with a break in the third game of the final set then held off four break points to close out the match. In just his second tournament since the Davis Cup tie in early March, Schalken downed Kevin Kim of the U.S. 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Three breaks of Kim's serve gave Schalken the first set rather decidedly, but Kim rallied to break Schalken in the third and fifth games of the second set to force the third. Schalken broke Kim in the American's first service game of the third set to come away with the win. In doubles, the Austrian team of Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer upset the No. 4 seeded team of Yves Allegro and Michael Kohlmann 7-5, 6-2. Copyright © ATP • • •
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• • • • This is the 12th edition of the already traditional ATP tournament taking place on the grounds of the Lower-Austrian Sports School in St. Poelten from Saturday, May 14th until Saturday, May 21st, 2005. One week before the French Open in Paris, this tournament serves again as preparation for the Gran Slam. Once again the original Roland Garros balls will be used and the conditions on St. Poelten’s Centre Court will be adapted to those in Paris. A change to last years concerns the organizer. So far the tournament was managed by AMI pro marketing. This agency is gone and now Champ Events is responsible for the management and the operations of the tournament. Ronnie Leitgeb is Tournament Director and Behrouz Sayahpour is Managing Director. There is also a new title sponsor of this ATP event called "BTM". This company comes from the Wellness and Therapy area, is market leader and develops infrared cabs. This collaboration is a result of an older co-operation between Ronnie Leitgeb’s high-tech fitness studio "Champs" in Monte Carlo and Wolfgang Lindner, the boss of BTM. Both managers reached an agreement and signed a three-year sponsoring contract for the ATP tournament in St. Poelten. The new official tournament name is now: "Int. BTM power Grand Prix" - St. Poelten BTM, already long time sponsor of Austrian ski star Renate Goetschl, co-operated already last year with the ATP events in St. Poelten and Kitzbuehel. Besides title sponsor BTM, the Raiffeisen Bank and the Niederoesterreichische Versicherung, long-time partners of the tournament, have confirmed once again their commitment. Tournament director Ronnie Leitgeb has a clear vision concerning this year’s "Int. BTM power Grand Prix" players list. “We want to present to tennis fans in St. Poelten real player personalities. For the selection, not only the ATP ranking of a player, but also what I know from his game quality will be decisive. This does not mean that we’re saying good-bye to top tennis players. No, actually this means exactly the opposite. We want to present players, where beside the sports class also fun and show character will play an important role. Of course, we wouldn’t mind to welcome one of the "big names of the tennis sport", but everything must fit together. On the one hand the economic value for the tournament, on the other hand the entertainment value for the fans must be present. Naturally, our interest is to bring the Austrian top players to St. Poelten, which is already the case for Juergen Melzer". The participation of Juergen Melzer to "the Int. BTM power Grand Prix" in St. Poelten is already confirmed: "Last year, I made it to the semi-finals here. For this year, I expect another substantial improvement. Maybe my home tournament brings me luck and I can celebrate my first ATP title. I look already forward to the atmosphere and hope that the public supports me exactly the same, as last year." Juergen Melzer is by the way one of the most successful sportsmen, who are supported by tournament sponsor the "Niederoesterreichische Versicherung", as General Manager representative Johannes Coreth declares proudly: "beside Juergen, we have also Barbara Schwartz, Babsi Paulus, Thomas Sykora, the Hypo handball ladies, Sueba basketball St. Poelten, handball UHK Krems, SVS Lower Austria in table tennis and cycling world champion Franz Stocher under contract." After the Davis Cup tie, tennis fans have the possibility to bet on all games from Juergen Melzer until his start in St. Poelten on his new homepage www.juergenmelzer.com. The most successful participants with most correct results can win tickets for the "Int. BTM power Grand Prix". Champ Events Managing Director Behrouz Sayahpour would like to add an interesting change. "We noticed that players and fans get every time further apart. Our task will be to close this gap. Therefore we will create zones on the tournament site, where spectators can meet with players. Conversations can be led and autographs be given. With the help of the Viennese and the Lower Austrian Tennis Federations, we are also reaching out to the active tennis players in the associations. We want to get them to spend at least a day at the tournament during the week. Therefore there will be a special, very cheap ticket." Once again prior to the "Int. BTM power Grand Prix", the "Int. Austrian Spring Bowl" will take place in St. Poelten. It’s the largest youth tournament in Austria. Over the past years, boys and girls from nearly 30 nations were represented. The Austrians played always quite successfully at the Spring Bowl. Stefan Koubek, Markus Hipfl, Clemens Trimmel, Simon Wernhart and among the girls, Christina Schiechtl, provided so far national final results.
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Local
favorite Jurgen Melzer and top seed Nikolay Davydenko advanced at
the Internationaler BTM-Power Grand Prix on Friday to reach their
first ATP final of the year .
Argentine Jose Acasuso and Belgian Christophe Rochus both survived ‘double duty’ on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Internationaler BTM-Power Grand Prix in St. Poelten. 
copyright © 2005 atpstpoelten.com
