Marcos advanced to the quarter-finals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships on Thursday in Tokyo as he overcame fourth seed Juan Monaco 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes.
Marcos found himself in trouble in the eighth game as he double faulted to go down a break point. But three big first serves pulled him out of trouble as he levelled at 4-4. He then made his move on Monaco’s serve in the 11th game. A deft drop shot gave him a foothold and he gained a 15/40 lead as Monaco netted a forehand. Another well-executed drop shot from Marcos secured the break and subsequently the first set.
Marcos was denied on two break points in the first game of the second set and went on to rue his missed opportunities as the in-form Monaco, a winner last week in Kuala Lumpur, raced into a 5-1 lead and levelled the match.
However, Marcos regrouped well. He drilled a backhand up the line to break Monaco for a 2-0 lead in the third set and with the Argentine fatiguing, Marcos took full advantage. He served out the match to 15 in the ninth game, closing out his first Top 10 win of the season.
“It was a very tough match. When you go on the court, you always believe that you can win. I’m very happy I won today and look forward to tomorrow’s match,” said Marcos, who goes onto face either Dmitry Tursunov of Russia or home hope Tatsuma Ito. “I’m very happy I’m here. Every time I come here, I love it. The people are great, the tournament is great, and the atmosphere in centre is very good. I just want to go out there to find a way to win and fight in every match.”
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Go, Marcos!
