Kohlschreiber, Volandri through to Kitzbühel Semis

On a day that forced many players to two matches, first seed Philipp Kohlschreiber and Filippo Volandri made it through to the semifinals at the Bet-at-Home Cup in Kitzbühel, Austria.  Kohlschreiber scored 13 aces in his quarterfinal match against Lukas Rosol in a tight three-set match.The German had the stronger start, immediately challenging Rosol’s serve in the first set.  His persistence paid off as he managed to break his serve to jump to a 6-4 lead.  The second set was a different story.  Kohlschreiber’s first serve percentage dropped to 50%, while Rosol’s climbed to 68%.  Rosol created two break point opportunities for himself to storm back and win the second set 2-6.  With the match tied up at one set apiece, the first seed fired 5 aces and saved 3 break points on his serve.  Applying pressure, Rosol eventually conceded a break and Kohlschreiber came out with the win at 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes.

The second quarterfinal of the day featured Filippo Volandri of Italy against Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil.  This match was a more straightforward affair in which Volandri was the more consistent player.  He broke his opponent’s serve twice in each set to win the match 6-4, 6-4 in 83 minutes.

Volandri will play first seed Kohlschreiber for a spot in the Kitzbühel finals.  The two last played each other over four years ago in Doha, with the German coming away with the win.