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Second seed Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia beat Zizou Bergs of Belgium 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a well-contested quarterfinal of the Swiss Open in Gstaad on Friday (July 21). The match lasted for well over two hours, as the 23-year-old Serb managed to scrape through in the end.
However, Bergs played some exciting tennis to thrill the crowd at times. He is a talented youngster, who should definitely climb up the rankings in the near future. Kecmanovic will face Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain in the semifinal on Saturday (July 22).
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Miomir Kecmanovic's quarterfinal win:
#1. Zizou Bergs thrilled with his powerful serve and forehand:
Bergs exhibited his powerful forehand extensively in the match to keep hitting winners off it. Kecmanovic, meanwhile, stayed true to his low-risk approach and committed fewer errors than his opponent.
Kecmanovic's defensive style enabled him to win the first set by getting the decisive break of serve. However, the Belgian bounced back in style in the second set, hitting winners all over the court and also adding occasional drop shots into the mix to drag the Serb into the net.
The Belgian also served pretty well and often troubled the Serb with the one-two combination of his serve and forehand. At the end of the second set, the momentum was firmly on the Belgian's side and Kecmanovic seemed to be under some pressure.
#2. Miomir Kecmanovic kept his cool to fend off the Belgian in the end:
Berg carried his form into the third set as well and broke the Serb to take an early lead. He then extended his lead to 5-3 and was on the verge of a victory before Kecmanovic staged a comeback. Berg also helped the Serb's cause by committing errors during some key moments.
A few crucial mistakes allowed Kecmanovic to bounce back and win four consecutive games to finish the match off. Berg served eight aces in the match against Kecmanovic's three and the two players were pretty much even across all other key statistics. However, the Serb's experience of playing more often at the top level saw him through in the end.
Miomir Kecmanovic looks good to win the tournament now and will start as the favourite to win the match against Ramos-Vinolas. However, the Spaniard is also in good form and should be able to offer a stiff resistance to the Serb.
