Haas, Stepanek into next round
Tommy Haas training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in February 2009
Tommy Haas and Radek Stepanek, two players who train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, both reached the quarterfinals of the SAP Open in San Jose yesterday with straight set victories. Haas defeated Christophe Rochus 6-2, 7-5 while Stepanek beat Chris Guccione 6-2, 7-6(1) and are the first two players to get to this round.
Haas will await the winner between top-seeded Andy Roddick and the very talented youngster Ernests Gulbis, while Stepanek will either face Taylor Dent or Todd Widom. Dent is another player who trains at the Academy and is looking to reach the quarters of an ATP-level tournament for the first time since October of 2005 because of a severe back injury that kept him out of play for two years.
One other Academy alum, Kei Nishikori, will also take the court today to try and reach the quarters when he faced second-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro. Nishikori beat Gilles Muller in the opening round, while Del Potro needed two tie-break sets to be Italian qualifier Andrea Stoppini. Nishikori and Del Potro last met in the fourth round of the 2008 US Open, and Del Potro won that match in straight sets.
Good luck to both Taylor and Kei today!
