Day Five of the Grand Prix Hassan II saw the quarterfinals get underway. Top seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez was the main casualty, losing to Jiri Vesely, while eighth seed Federico Delbonis, third seed Borna Coric and unseeded Albert Montanes made up the rest of the semifinals.
Montanes Races Away To Victory
Albert Montanes booked his spot in the semifinals with a comfortable 6-1 7-5 victory over Facundo Bagnis. The 35-year old broke his Argentine opponent on three occasions en route to clinching the opening set and did not face one himself.
The second set was much closer, although Montanes managed to stay ahead for the majority of the set after breaking for 3-1. The world number 95 got back on serve temporarily, until the 35-year old broke on his first match point to take victory.
Borna Coric Battles To Reach Semifinals
The first set saw two breaks of serve, one after the other, with the set moving to 2-2. At 5-4, there was an opening for Coric with a break point, but Paul-Henri Mathieu saved it and held. The set moved to a tiebreak and the Frenchman won 8-6 to go up a set on the third seed. In the third game of the second set, Mathieu had three break chances, but Coric fought hard and saved them all to hold a lengthy game.
The only break of the set went the way of the 19-year old on his third break point of the game, again engaging in a long game. From then on, he held and took the second 6-3. The opening game of the third set saw the Frenchman save five break points as he held a tough game. In the seventh game, Coric got the only break of the set and won 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4.
Delbonis Advances To Semifinals
Third seed Federico Delbonis brushed aside Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-2. There was three breaks of serve in the opening set, with the first two coming back-to-back. Delbonis broke to take the opening set 7-5. The Argentine faced three breaks during the set. The second set was dominated by the 25-year old, as he broke twice to take the set 6-2.
The Argentine needed four match points to book his spot in the semifinals. Delbonis won 78 percent of his first serves and 60 percent on his second serve en route his straight sets win.
Top seed Garcia-Lopez Crashes Out To Jiri Vesely
In only the second game, Jiri Vesely had to save three break points from Garcia-Lopez in a long game. The lone break of the set came in the ninth game as the Czech raced away to a break to love. He needed only one set point to claim the set 6-4. The length of the games were long in the second set as Garcia-Lopez tried getting back on level terms.
The opening game saw the 32-year old Spaniard save four break points. Jiri Vesely faced no break points, but Garcia-Lopez faced three more during the match, saving them all as he took the set to a tiebreaker. The eighth seed ran away with the breaker winning 7-2 booking a spot in the semifinals
The semifinals will see Federico Delbonis face Albert Montanes, while Jiri Vesely faces rising star Borna Coric.