The 26th GERRY WEBER OPEN are a stage for the Underdogs. Australian Matthew Ebden has thrown Philipp Kohlschreiber, number six from eight seeded players, out of the Tournament. Ebden found into the match after losing the first set, but then won deservedly after 98 minutes 4:6, 6:1, 6:2.
As early as lunchtime the tennis fans in Halle at the GERRY WEBER STADION experienced best tennis entertainment. Matthew Ebden, Semi-Finalist last week in the Tournament at ´s-Hertogenbosch and Philipp Kohlschreiber, GWO-Champion from 2011, faught an offensive and very interesting match.
Local hero Kohlschreiber showed once more from the start that he plays his best tennis in front of a home audience and adjusted quickly to the Australians' service. With some good returns the Augsburg-born got a break and got the set (6:4) even though Ebden put up a tough fight.
But his opponents self-confidence wasn't crumbling at all after nine victories out of eleven matches this season. Ebden played more aggressively, was causing Kohlschreiber a lot of difficulties, especially in the second service returns and in the second set quickly went up 3:0 und with this Kohlschreiber had lost his routine. Nearly without doing anything the German Davis Cup Player had to look on and saw how Ebden dominated and got the second set 6:1. The German No. 2 was not to overcome this set-back. While the 30 year old from Perth was on a high, Kohlschreiber looked forlorn.
The 10times Quarter-Finalist at the GERRY WEBER OPEN was still fighting, but after an early break he lacked conviction, safeness from the baseline and the tactics to turn the game. The man from Perth however showed impressively, that grass is his favourite surface and why he is at No. 60 in the world, a high in his career. Now South-African-born Ebden may experience the biggest match in his life. He could meet Roger Federer in the Quarter-Finals.
