The Philippines’ top doubles player Treat Huey and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands carried over the momentum of their first-round upset of the tournament 3rd seeds by displaying sharp form in the quarterfinals of the €44,800 Biella 2 Challenger Indoor on Thursday, February 18 (Friday, February 19, Manila time) in Italy.
Huey, formerly the 18th best doubles player in the world and currently ranked 120th, and Verbeek, 140th in the ATP world standings, dispatched in straight sets the wild card entry pair of Luca Nardi and Giolio Zeppieri, 6-4, 6-3.
After the Italian teen tandem opened the 1st set by holding serve, Huey and Verbeek went on a run that saw them break their opponents’ serve twice to go up 5-1.
Nardi and Zeppieri mounted a rally by breaking Verbeek and closing in at 4-5. Huey, however, immediately doused cold water on the Italians’ threat by holding serve at love to close out the 1st set.
The Filipino and Dutch pair did not let their feet off the gas pedal as they broke the hometown bets right at the start of the 2nd set to go up early, 2-0. Huey and Verbeek zoomed to a 5-2 lead before closing out the match by clinching the 2nd set in dominant fashion, 6-3.
This is the fourth straight semifinal appearance in 4 weeks in the ATP Challenger circuit for Huey and Verbeek and their second straight in Italy.
Prior to their Italian campaign, the two also made the semifinals on two straight occasions in Antalya, Turkey.
But Huey and Verbeek will have a big mountain to hurdle as they seek their first finals spot for the year against the top seeded pair of Hugo Nys of Monaco and Germany Davis Cup mainstay Tim Puetz.
World No. 67 Nys, fresh off a stint in the Australian Open, and Puetz, 62nd in the world, defeated the strong pairs of Evan King and Hunter of the United States in the opening round and Romain Arneodo of Monaco and Albano Olivetti of France in the quarterfinals. – Rappler.com
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