03.06.2015 14:02:09 | Twenty-seven year old Joao-Olavo Souza of Brazil surprisingly advanced to the UniCredit Czech Open quarter-finals after beating Mathieue of France in two sets. How did he feel after winning over the former number twelve in the ATP ranking? “Today’s match was very good, much better than yesterday’s in which I played Dustov of Uzbekistan. I managed to turn around the first set and win the tie-break. After I broke the opponent’s serve I became more confident. I had better feel for the ball and I didn’t make stupid mistakes.
All was thinking about was I had to fight for every ball. The opponent dropped a little in the second set and I kept fighting, running, and hitting the court. Now, I have to get ready for the next match. It will probably be Granollers of Spain who’s played great so far.“
What does Joao-Olavo Souza think about the quality of the tournament? “From my point of view it is the strongest challenger in the history. Even though I am number 78th in the world, I am only the 7th seeded player here. This is my fourth time at the tournament. I like to come here because it’s always very relaxed. I really enjoy such tournaments. Jaroslav Levinský invited me to Prostějov and he’s take a great care of me. Next year, I’d like to advance to the second week at Roland Garros, but I always reserve a place in my calendar for the local tournament.“
What does Joao-Olavo Souza think about the organization of the tournament? “I’ve been treated like an ATP player since I was picked up at Vienna. Everything from food to transportation has been perfectly arranged and it’s a pleasure for me to be here. The only problem is that people don’t speak very good English. But we always manage to communicate event though we have to use our hands sometimes. The local people are very patient.“
