Sergiy Stakhovsky faces a tricky quarter-final showdown against Ricardas Berankis on Friday in the quarter-finals of the ATP Bratislava ChallengerYou can watch and bet on the ATP Bratislava Challenger live for free at bet365 > live tennisSergiy Stakhovsky and Ricardas Berankis are two players with the capacity to win this week’s Bratislava Challenger, but one of them will have to make way on Friday when the pairing meet in the quarter-finals.
Following the early exit of Lukasz Kubot, Stakhovsky is the highest seed left in the draw. Whilst he struggled in his tournament opener against Kamil Capkovic (7-6(4), 7-5), the Ukrainian seemed to find his feet in round two, where he easily dismissed Maxime Teixeira in straight sets (6-1, 6-3).
Berankis isn’t seeded here, but he’s a popular name on the Challenger Circuit, and is renowned for being successful in Challenger events. He’ll be eyeing up a return to the top hundred, and a win on Friday would put him in a good position to achieve this.
Berankis has a 1-0 head to head record against Stakhovsky, having beaten him in the second round of qualifying at the 2008 US Open (1-6, 6-4, 6-4). This upcoming clash also has the makings of a three setter. Stakhovsky is perhaps the slight favourite, but he’ll need to be on song to defy the world No. 108.
