Tennis/Irish Open:"I moved well, returned well, served well, even volleyed well," said Louk Sorensen after his second-round defeat of American Brendan Evans at the Shelbourne Irish Open yesterday, a 6-3, 6-2 victory that earned the 22-year-old his first quarter-final place in an ATP Challenger event.
There was little Sorensen didn't do well against an opponent ranked 52 places above him, at 284 in the world.
"I'm very satisfied," he said, although such was the smile on his face when he exchanged hugs after the match with his father, Seán, the former Irish number one, you suspected he felt a great deal more than mere satisfaction.
After failing to convert two break points when he was 2-1 up in the first set, with Evans producing an ace and a whipped forehand cross-court pass to thwart him, Sorensen made no mistake when presented with another opportunity in the American's next service game, firing a forehand down the line to take a 4-2 lead.
Evans threatened a comeback early in the second set, but the Irishman kept his composure when he had break points against him in his first two service games, before a string of pinpoint returns earned him two breaks, taking the set 6-2.
Sorensen is joined in the quarter-finals by fellow Irish Davis Cup player Conor Niland, who had another outstanding result in the tournament, saving three match points before beating Slovakia's Grega Zemlja (ranked almost 100 places above him at 288) in a third set tie-break.
The Limerick man lost the first set 6-4, but took the second by the same score. Zemlja, though, appeared to have the tie all but won, going 5-2 and 40-15 up on Niland's serve to earn the first two of his three match points, but Niland nervelessly fought back to save his serve.
Zemlja was within touching distance again of victory when he went 40-30 up on his next serve, but Niland unleashed a wonderful return to level the game, before breaking the Slovakian, then winning his serve to make it 5-5. By the time the set reached the tie-break Niland had an unbeatable look, and so it proved.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: Second round:M Pedersen (Den) bt P Duclos (Can) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; L Sorensen (Irl) bt B Evans (US) 6-3, 6-2, A Jones (Aus) bt A Feeney (Aus) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, C Niland (Irl) v G Zemlja (Slo); C Ebelthite (Aus) bt P Clarke (Irl) 6-4, 6-4; B Rehquist bt D Pavlovs (Lat) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2; R Bohanna (Ind) bt T Chen (Tpe) 7-6(10), 6-1; M Zverev (Ger) bt L Burgsmuller (Ger) 6-4, 6-3.
TODAY'S ORDER OF PLAY:1.0: L Sorensen v M Pedersen, A Jones v C Ebelthite. 3.0: M Zverev v R Bopanna. 6.0: C Niland v B Rehnquist.
