Shevchenko downs Llamas Ruiz 6-3 6-4 in Cincinnati qualifying

Alexandr Shevchenko controlled a tidy straight-sets win over Pablo Llamas Ruiz, 6-3 6-4, in the qualifying semifinals in Cincinnati. The Kazakh's serve settled the argument: 10 aces against just one from his opponent, and 82.9% of first-serve points won even though only 58.3% of those first deliveries landed. When he missed, he still coped, taking 60% behind the second ball despite three double faults. Llamas Ruiz was the steadier server by percentage at 69.6% in, but won only 62.5% of those points and 57.1% on second serve. Shevchenko moved to the final qualifying round.