ATP News : 2005


Ljubicic mounts comeback as Masters Cup target draws nearer

Madrid (dpa) - Ivan Ljubicic staged a storming 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 comeback Friday to defeat Chile's Fernando Gonzalez for a place in the semi-finals of the Masters Series Madrid.


The Croatian eighth seed lifted his 15th match in succession as he aims for a possible third ATP title in as many weeks. The world number 12 won Metz early in the month and followed up last weekend with a trophy in Vienna at the expense of Spain's Juan
Carlos Ferrero.

"Obviously it's about Masters Cup, this one was very important match for that," said Ljubicic. "The goal is closer and closer. Today was extremely important match because Fernando was six points behind me, a lot of guys are still fighting for that spot. The farther I go on the more important it gets. The stakes are bigger and the bigger. I felt like it was quite important match to win."

Ljubicic recovered without drama from a set and a break down against 15th seed Gonzalez, whom he also beat last week in the Vienna quarters. The winner spent two hours, 11 minutes in constructing his victory, striking 45 winners and breaking on two of ten occasions against the South American.

Robby Ginepri defeated Spain's David Ferrer 6-1, 6-4, stretching a resurgent comeback this season which keeps the American in the chase for Shanghai. Ginepri, ranked outside the Top 100 after Wimbledon, has surged to 21st and stands roughly 100 points away from a possible eighth and final spot in the elite Chinese field from November 13.

While the odds are long - Lleyton Hewitt just claimed the fifth place in the field - the target is not beyond Ginepri, who lost a U.S. Open semi-final to Andre Agassi.

The 16th seed spent 75 minutes in dominating 11th seed Ferrer, whom he has now defeated twice this season at Masters tournaments. Ginepri will Saturday face his most extreme test of the week in Spain as he plays the winner from top seed Rafael Nadal and Czech tenth seed Radek Stepanek.

The persistent American eventually prevailed, with the Spaniard dumping a return into the net to end it. Ginepri fired 21 winners on the afternoon and never faced a break point. He stands 36-20 as he moves into a third semi-final in two months after Cincinnati and New York.



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