Germans survive in Metz
Rosco & Kerr pipped by Petzschner & Kohlschreiber…
Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr have fallen in the quarter-finals of the Open de Moselle to Philipp Kohlschreiber and Philipp Petzschner 7-5 6-7(5) 10-7.
The Anglo-Aussie duo, who first played together earlier this year at the Madrid Masters, broke the German pair three times but saw another ten break point opportunities come and go in a tight encounter.
A nip and tuck first set could have gone to the Germans as Hutchins was broken in game five, but the British No.1 and world No.35 Kerr broke back immediately to stay in contention.
But a crucial break in game eleven handed the initiative back to Kohlschreiber and Petzschner, who served out for a one-set lead.
Hutchins and Kerr responded in the second set, piling the pressure on their opponents on return but only converting one break from their nine break points.
It looked like they might be made to pay when the Germans converted their only break point of the set to take it into a tiebreak, but the Brit-Aussie pair clinched it to take the match into a match tiebreak.
Hutchins and Kerr got off to a nightmare start in the breaker, trailing 5-1 at one stage before Kohlschreiber and Petzschner brought up four match points at 9-5. After missing out on two, the Germans finished the match at the third time of asking.
