Golubev Celebrates Birthday With Top 10 Win; Ferrero Keeps Alive Title Bid

© German OpenJuan Carlos Ferrero has a 24-6 record on clay courts this year.

Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev had two reasons for celebration Thursday at German Open Tennis Championships, as he marked his 23rd birthday with his first victory over a Top 10 player. Golubev surprised top seed and defending champion Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament.

"For me it’s the first time to beat a Top 10 guy like Nikolay," said the 82nd-ranked Golubev. "We met before once in Estoril. Now I was really concentrated. It’s my birthday today, and I wanted to [give myself] a gift. Indeed, I’m very happy because I played very well."

Prior to this week, Golubev had won consecutive ATP World Tour main draw matches on one occasion, when he made a surprising run to the 2008 St. Petersburg final as a qualifier. He posted an upset win over former World No. 1 Marat Safin before falling to Andy Murray in the final.

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World No. 6 Davydenko was making just his fourth main draw appearance since returning from a left wrist injury, suffered in March. He had opened his 2010 season by winning his 20th title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

Golubev next faces Uzbekistani Denis Istomin, who prevailed against German wild card Julien Reister 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). Golubev said about his next opponent: “We’re good friends. But on the court you can’t be friends, so I will just have to try to play like today. I will have to be concentrated and I will give all my best for a win.”

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Third seed Jurgen Melzer survived a tough examination of his title credentials, when he scraped past Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 7-6(4) in one hour and 55 minutes.

Melzer, who hit seven aces, could only convert three of 14 break point opportunities but it was enough to reach his eighth ATP World Tour quarter-final (or better) on the season. The World No. 15 has a 32-16 match record, highlighted by a run to the Roland Garros semi-finals (l. to Nadal).

Melzer goes on to meet Italian World No. 72 Potito Starace, who advanced to his fourth quarter-final (or better) this year after he defeated Spanish qualifier Pere Riba 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and six minutes.

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Sixth seed and 2001 finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero kept alive his chances of capturing a third ATP World Tour title this year with a hard-fought 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

Former World No. 1 Ferrero, runner-up to Albert Portas in 2001, won 72 per cent of service points for his 27th win of the year in one hour and 46 minutes. Ferrero has a 2-1 in ATP World Tour finals this year, picking up titles at the Brasil Open and Copa Telmex in February.

Ferrero goes on to meet German Florian Mayer, a 7-6(1), 6-0 winner over Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina, who advanced the MercedesCup quarter-finals (l. to Monfils) in Stuttgart last week. Mayer thanked the home country fans for their support after the match, saying, "It is overwhelming – the public made me win."

Seventh-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci snapped a two-match losing streak against No. 10 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 52 minutes to maintain his chances of reaching a second ATP World Tour final this year.

"Everything turned out as I had expected," said Kohlschreiber. "I had some good possibilities. Serving three breaks, it would have been possible to win a match like this. But Bellucci was a great returner."

In February, the World No. 22 lifted the Movistar Open title in Santiago (d. Monaco). He has a 29-14 season record and will next challenge Andreas Seppi, who advanced to an ATP World Tour quarter-final for the second successive week after he beat Italian compatriot Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-4 in just over 90 minutes.

It was Seppi's fourth straight win over Fognini, who could only convert two of nine break point opportunities. Seppi lost to Robin Soderling at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad last week (l. to Soderling).