Youzhny out for blood

We had many great matches at this year's Key Biscane tournament in Miami, but the battle between Mikhail Youzhny and Nicolas Almagro surely deserves to be crowned as the top of the cream! It was a trully memorable and bloody encounter between two players, who were about to give up their all to win this one.



The Russian took the early initiative and raced out to a 4/0 lead only to see the feisty Spaniard coming back to level the first set at 4-all. Afterwards both players held their serves and Youzhny won the tiebreak. Though ending up with nothing after such a good comeback in the first set, Almagro wasn't about to give up as he confidently won the second set 6/3.
For the most part of the 3rd set it was the Spaniard, who looked to be in better shape, time after time forcing the issue. Almagro took his chance at 4-all as he broke the Russians serve and went on to serve for the match at 5/4, but Youzhny got a break point on the Spaniards serve and after being not able to capitalize on it, he went totally crazy...



After the medical timeout Youzhny managed to finally break Almagro and saved himself into the tiebreak once again, where he looked to be on his way, but the Spaniard saved two match points and leveled the final set tiebreak at 6-all and looked to be in control once again, but this wasn't to be, as the No.11 seeded Russian won the next two points and with it, the match.

There was no bad blood between those two players, but Youzhny was baying for blood and in cold blood he managed to win this bloodbath!

~jachal