Rochus into the final
Belgian returns to Heineken Open title match
January 13, 2012
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- Olivier Rochus www.photosport.co.nz
After nearly not playing in his first round match due to illness, Olivier Rochus won his third straight three-set match to move into the final of the 2012 Heineken Open.
The Belgian caught a cold on the way to Auckland and admitted he was close to pulling out of his first round match against Tobias Kamke. But as he has all week, Rochus fought through it, and his great fight led him past several higher ranked opponents all week.
Today, Rochus battled 2008 Heineken Open champion Philipp Kohlschreiber, whom he hadn't faced since 2007. A tight first set went to the German in a tiebreaker, but then the windy conditions started to bother Kohlschreiber who soon found himself down 3-1 in the third set.
The German pulled even and all was tied at 4-4 when Rochus was able to break and serve for a spot in the final at 5-4 and he would hang on for the win.
"I cannot believe it," he said after the win, admitting he didn't know how he managed to win the match but attributed it to "the magic of this game."
Rochus says he'll go into the final without pressure. "I'm playing good so I'll just go for it," he said. "
He will face either defending champion David Ferrer or Fernando Verdasco in tomorrow's final. Rochus reached the 2005 Heineken Open final, which he lost to Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.
