05.06.2014 14:56:16 | Adam Pavlasek continues to shock at the UniCredit Czech Open. He beat American Klahn in the first round, then Brazilian Souza in the second one, and then Lukas Rosol in the quarterfinals! As early as in the first set, Pavlasek had three breakpoints at 2:2. Later, he had to save three breakpoints when serving at 0:40 and 15:40. He played a drop shot into the net and lost the first set at 7:5. In the second set, Rosol was leading 40:0 at 4:4, but Pavlasek levelled up and converted the first breakpoint to 5:4! Pavlasek was serving for the set but Rosol levelled up again and the set was decided only in a tie-break which Pavlasek won. And what about the third set?
Pavlasek lost his first serve. Rosol converted the second breakpoint and took the lead. He won his serve to 2:0, and then 3:1. How did Pavlasek feel in the third set when Rosol was leading 3:1 and had two game points to 4:1? “I was lucky he did not convert it. The odds were fifty-fifty from then on. I could still feel I had a chance. I tried not to think about it. I kept the pace and finally brought the match to a victorious close.“ Did he believe he could still turn the match in his favour after the first set? “Absolutely. I always say a match ends when the last point is over. I tried to improve my return, eliminate my mistakes, and I just made it.“
How did Pavlasek feel about playing at the central court? “Honestly, I prefer to play at court No.1. This is a different court. But I have to get used to it because I will also play the next matches at that court.“
What happened that Pavlasek advanced to the semis? “I would also like to know! I’m glad I’ve won three hard matches and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s semis. I’ll make every effort to succeed in it. The victory over Lukas is a great scalp and new experience for me. After the first round, I thought the defeat of Klahn was the greatest in my career. Now, it is of course the scalp of Rosol. I believe that every such experience will push me forward. I’ve had nothing to lose since the first round. I always played better players. They were favourites and I could only surprise. Finally, I even surprised myself.“ Did he seek his coach Navratil in the audience? “Sure I did, many times.”
