Injury ejects Mardy Fish from the third round clash against Juan Monaco – BNP Paribas Masters 2011
Sad news for the American tennis fans, as the world number nine, Mardy Fish, had an unfortunate ending to his voyage at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, France, losing to 34th ranked Argentine opponent, Juan Monaco,
on Thursday night.
The seventh seed American pulled out of the final set of the third round clash against Monaco due to left abductor injury, letting the unseeded Argentine through to the quarter-final rounds of the last ATP (Association of Tennis
Professionals) Masters Series event.
Fish blasted though the opening set by absolutely ravaging his opponent to get a magnificent start but tend to lose his steam due to his debilitating physical conditions in the later parts of the second set. He was leading the
matchup 6-1, 6-7(6), 2-1, when he finally signalled the chair umpire that he was no more fit to continue the competition and retired from the match to award an easy pass to Monaco.
The curtailed version of the game took one hour and forty two minutes, with some quality tennis display from both contestants. Monaco took full advantage of Fish’s sloppy game play in the second set and stretched the matchup to
the third one to consume the American’s physical strength. Fish had two match points in the second set tie breaker but was denied both times by the Argentine opponent, eventually pulling out of the competition in disgust.
“The next two weeks are arguably the most important of my whole career,” expressed disappointed Fish after withdrawing from the third round matchup. “The next 10 days [I will] try to get healthy and still be fit enough to play
the tennis that I need to play to do well, because I know that I can.”
Fish has made a berth in the prestigious field at the circuit grand finale, the ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month and it is hoped that the ninth ranked American will be fully fit by then.
Monaco will gear up to take on the world number four, Roger Federer of Switzerland, in the quarter-final encounter on Friday evening to battle it out for a place in the final four at the Paris Masters. Federer devastated the 16th
seed Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, in the third round to reach the quarter-finals of the event in his typical aggressive manner.
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