Petzschner downs Raonic to reach Halle last four
Date published :
10 Jun 2011 - 15:00:03
Germany's Philipp Petzschner booked a place in the semi-finals at Halle's ATP grasscourt tournament by knocking out eighth-seeded Canadian newcomer Milos Raonic on Friday.
In a hard-fought quarter-final clash, Petzschner needed nearly two hours to prevail over 20-year-old Raonic and seal a 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 win.
In Saturday's semi-final, the 27-year-old Petzschner will now meet either 2007 Halle winner Tomas Berdych -- the top seed after Roger Federer's withdrawal on Monday -- or Davis Cup winner Viktor Troicki of Serbia.
"It was a tight match on a knife edge. I nearly won it in the second set," said Petzschner, who also reached the semi-finals here last year.
In the day's other quarter-finals, defending champion Lleyton Hewitt faces home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber and France's Gael Monfils, the third seed, plays Germany's Florian Mayer.
