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Niland qualifies for quarter finals of ATP event in Russia
LIMERICK TENNIS star Conor Niland has qualified for the quarter final of the $50,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Kazan, Russia.
Niland defeated Ukraine's Sergei Bubka 6-3 6-3 in the second round to enter the quarter final of the Russian tournament.
Bubka had been considered the favourite above the 277 ranked Irishman, having beaten Russia's No 4 seed Alexandre Kudryavtsev in the first round, but Niland held his nerve and was by far the more aggressive player.
A break of serve in each set was enough for Niland to enter the quarter finals of the tournament, where he will face the 7th seed, Russian Konstantin Kravchuk, who is ranked 33 places higher than Niland in the world, at 244.
The Limerick man defeated fellow Russian Anton Manegin - a wild card entry - in the first round to set up the clash against Bubka, who is based in Monaco and played in the 2008 Davis Cup match against Ireland in Dublin.
Niland will face a tough task in his next match against Kravchuk, who has a career high ranking of 231 and favours the hard court surface that the Kazan Kremlin Cup is being played on.
Niland, however, has a career high ranking of 229, and is in good form, having recently come close to qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open, narrowly losing to Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar in the final qualifying round.
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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