03.06.2014 17:28:49 | It has been the longest match at the 21st edition of UniCredit Czech Open. Radek Stepanek repeated the result of the first round of grand slam Paris and beat Facundo Arguello again. In Paris, the final score was 3:2. At the AGROFERT Arena’s centre court, Stepanek won 3:6, 6:0, 6:2. The triple winner of the Czech Open could not hold the promising opening set in which he lost five games in a row. But then he started to rule: he outclassed the Argentine 6:0 in the second set and he also controlled the third set. Was Stepanek afraid that the match in Paris repeat itself?
“I wouldn’t say I was afraid but I have respect for every opponent. I played an extremely hard match against him at Roland Garros. I knew what to expect from him and I played accordingly. I think the recollection of Paris finally broke him.“ In the first set, Stepanek had a moment of weakness at 3:1. He was leading but then he lost five games in a row and lost the entire set. “I played a few bad rallies and then returned to the match. I was a little inattentive when playing forward, wasn’t strong enough at the net, and that’s what gave him wings. I started to play forcefully at the beginning of the second set and didn’t let go until the end.“ The Argentine was getting upset more often. “It was the greatest signal for me that he was where I wanted him to be. He started to have doubts about himself. “
And what is the chance of winning the fourth title? “It’s surely very appealing. Everybody came here to win the cup and I’m one of them. I was quite tired after Paris where I played a number of hard matches. Yet, I didn’t hesitate to come to Prostejov and I will fight for the great chance.“
