06.06.2012 17:53:56 | Including the qualification, it’s been the fourth day of UniCredit Czech Open and we already know all the quarter-finalists. How satisfied is Petra Langrova who’s been in the position for the fourteenth time? “We’re all rather disappointed with the weather. It hadn’t rained for six weeks in Prostejov and now it’s the complete opposite. We were been unlucky with the weather during the first half of our tournament. It rained all day on Tuesday and we only managed to play five out of sexteen matches under the roof of the Center Court. What made it even worse was that the matches were very long and took until midnight. We are very fortunate to have the closing roof…“
How did the Tournament Director feel about dumping the top-seed Fernando Verdasco? “That’s tennis. If somebody narrowly loses in the third set, you cannot say he wasted it. Let alone he fought hard to win the second set in tiebreak. He came from Paris where there were fast balls, the temperature higher by twenty degrees, let alone he was very disappointed when he came from Paris. Yet still, he wanted to get through Seppi. It’s not unusual on tournaments that successful qualifiers want to show their best performance and prove themselves that they really belong to the main group. Low-ranking players usually surprise. Semjan of Slovakia is a very good example. We can all remember that he had three match points against the top-seed Youzhny last year. What he did not manage last year, he managed this year and he is already through to the quarter-finals.“
Looking back in the past, this year’s tournament is of the best quality in the eighteen-year history. “We are glad to have such good players in Prostejov. The tournament management have done their job, it’s now up to the players to show their best performance. Doctor Cernosek always says with exaggeration: we’ve brought the players here, but we cannot play on their behalf… On the other hand, we have to admit that men’s tennis becomes more leveled up and the ranking often doesn’t mean anything.“
