TENNIS Live

Hamburg Masters - Quarter final - Men

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
ItalyA Seppi657--
GERN Kiefer375--

Nicolas Kiefer

Nationality GER
Date of Birth 05/07/1977
Height 1.83 m
Weight 80 kg
ATP Ranking 31
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand

Andreas Seppi

Nationality ITA
Date of Birth 21/02/1984
Height 1.91 m
Weight 70 kg
ATP Ranking 34
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand
 

Live Comments

  1. 5-7 - Kiefer lucks out on MATCH POINT #1 as Kiefer Kiefer dumps a horrid backhand approach into the net, but no such luck on MATCH POINT #2 with the Italian breaking home fan hearts with a brilliant backhand winner on the return-of-serve. A gruelling 6-3 5-7 7-5 victory is wrapped up in three hours and 13 minutes and Roger Federer awaits!

  2. 5-6 - Seppi holds and now it's the Italian with a chance to claim the match.

  3. 5-5 - AND SEPPI BREAKS!! Kiefer played a horrible, horrible game there. That was very poor from the German. What a chance wasted.

  4. 5-4 - Seppi holds, but no matter...KIEFER WILL SERVE FOR THE MATCH!!

  5. 5-3 - Lovely stuff from Kiefer, a game which included a deft forehand volley and some supremely accurate groundstrokes.

  6. 4-3 - Seppi holds. KIEFER SHOULD HAVE BROKEN!!!! WHAT A CHANCE. That may come back to haunt him.

  7. 4-2 - There it is! Aces count up to eight, four in this final set. He's closing in now.

  8. 3-2 - Kiefer comes into the net and puts away a neat forehand volley to lead 30-0. A quick hold would be golden right now.

  9. 3-2 - Seppi lives to fight another day. Tense stuff. Very tense.

  10. 3-1 - BREAK POINT KIEFER!!! Seppi had two chances to win the game, but nerves are getting the better of him.

  11. 3-1 - Kiefer holds and a remarkable comeback is very much on the cards here.

  12. 2-1 - Kiefer breaks!!! He played some lovely stuff there. What energy from the German, he's really in the zone now.

  13. 1-1 - Great serving from Kiefer, who powers level. It's taken him two sets to get going, but he's really firing now.

  14. 0-1 - WHAT A CHANCE...and it's gone begging. Seppi somehow pulls back to hold. That could prove a VITAL game in the context of this match.

  15. 0-0 - Kiefer absolutely kills a cross-court backhand. Two break points...yep, you heard me. Two BIG OL' BREAKDANCING POINTS!!

  16. 7-5 - AND THAT'S THE SET!!! Kiefer is RIGHT BACK IN THIS!!!

  17. 6-5 - KIEFER BREAKS AGAIN!!! HOW ABOUT THAT!!

  18. 5-5 - Interesting, very interesting. Kiefer holds and the crowd give him a Henman-esque partisan roar - German style.

  19. 4-5 - WELL WELL WELL!!! Kiefer shows real grit to force a break and this game is still in the balance.

  20. 3-5 - Kiefer holds to keep his slim hopes alive.

  21. 2-5 - Kiefer has the chance to pass, but Seppi guesses right and sends a neat forehand away to go 5-2 ahead. It's surely in the bag.

  22. 2-4 - Oops there it is. Seppi breaks it down.

  23. 2-3 - WHAT. A. SHOT. Seppi smashes a return away and sets up THREE BREAK POINTS!!!

  24. 2-3 - Fairly straightforward hold for Seppi.

  25. 2-2 - Kiefer's serve looks in danger for a moment, but he settles himself and lets rip with a mighty smash to complete the job.

  26. 1-2 - Seppi holds, and we're with serve three games into the second set. The crowd are very subdued in Hamburg. They came expecting Kiefer to win at a canter here, but's it not going to plan.

  27. 1-1 - Good stuff from the German. He needed that game to steady his nerves.

  28. 0-1 - Seppi takes the opening game of the second set. This next game should provide some indication of Kiefer's resolve.

  29. 3-6 - But just when a comeback seemed on the cards, Seppi breaks to take a deserved one-set lead. He's halfway there.

  30. 3-5 - Interesting! Kiefer forces a break and suddenly Seppi looks unsure of himself.

  31. 2-5 - Kiefer holds and Seppi will serve for the set.

  32. 1-5 - Kiefer makes another unforced error and Seppi moves within a game of taking the set.

  33. 1-4 - Hooray! Kiefer bags a game. It might prove too little too late to save this set, but at least he's on the board.

  34. 0-4 - Keifer threatens a break, but Seppi's game is too strong and he comes back to hold and go four ahead.

  35. 0-3 - Oh dear, the home fans are not getting what they came for. Seppi, who's only lost 11 games so far in the tournament, has raced into a 3-0 lead. Kiefer is seriously struggling.

  36. 0-2 - Rankings wise there's little between these guys. Kiefer is at 41, Seppi at 43.

  37. 0-2 - And a convincing hold follows. Great start from Seppi.

  38. 0-1 - Seppi gets an opening break! Lovely tennis from the Italian. He's found his touch straight away here.

  39. - - The prize for the winner here...a semi-final against world number one Roger Federer.

  40. - - Good afternoon and welcome to our LIVE!! coverage of Nicolas Kiefer v Andreas Seppi in the quarter-finals of the Hamburg Masters.

ATP Race 2008

Points
1 Rafael Nadal 955 stay
2 Roger Federer 685 stay
3 Novak Djokovic 649 stay
4 Nikolay Davydenko 371 stay
5 David Ferrer 306 stay
6 Andy Roddick 240 stay
7 Nicolas Almagro 238 stay
8 Stanislas Wawrinka 236 stay
9 Andrew Murray 235 down
10 James Blake 216 stay

Full Table »