Lopez defence shattered

The world No 35 GarciaLopez of Spain, who had a first-round bye, refused to blame a broken nail for his second-round defeat, despite the trouble it seemed to cause him in the second set.
“It was not the cause of my loss. I’m a professional tennis player. I just cannot play 100 per cent all the time.  After 54 in the final set everything was close, it could [have been a] win or loss. He played well,” said the Spaniard.
 The win marked the 22-year-old Young’s best ever performance in Thailand, on his third visit to the country. The inform lefthander is also enjoying his best season so far, with a semifinal in Washington last month followed by a fourthround berth in the US Open.
“I worked a lot on my fitness. I try to play more aggressive, stay there mentally, not get mad. If I lose a point I will try to get back the next point. That’s the two main things that I have changed,’’ said the American.
“It feels great to get a win like that. He won the tournament last year. Holding on my serves was the key. I tried not to get down when I had the chance to serve for the match. I was up quite early in the first set. I had chances to break him in the second but I didn’t make it. I just tried to stay focused on the task in hand,’’ said the 22-year-old Young, who next plays Go Soeda. The Japanese beat Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-2 7-6 (9-7) to reach his first ATP quarterfinal.
Second seed Gael Monfils of France came back from a secondset slump to beat Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-4 4-6 6-1.
“I expected a tough match against him as I knew he was a good player. I was playing well even though I dropped my serve in the last game of the second set. I knew that the third set would be easier as I was moving better and serving well,’’ said the world No 9, who reached the semifinals here in 2008. Mofils, who is looking forward to having dinner at fancy restaurant Sirroco and seeing the giant Buddha statue at Wat Pho, will take on last year’s finalist Jarkko Nieminen tomorrow.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra presided over the opening ceremony yesterday evening before the late match between top seed Andy Murray of Great Britain and Michael Berrer of Germany. The premier was presented with a Bt5million donation by the organisers, which will be used to help flood victims.