[VIDEO] Bernard Tomic vs Philipp Kohlschreiber highlights: 2015 Sydney International scores, blog

Match result:

Bernard Tomic is in to his 3rd straight quarter final at the Sydney International with a 6-3 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber last night.

In just 58 minutes of tennis, Tomic again proved why he is tough to beat on Ken Rosewall Arena.

He hardly gave Kohlschreiber a chance to get into the match and punished the German when he made critical mistakes in the first and second set.

For the opening few games, it was an even contest, as both players dominated the play with their serve.

When Tomic held for 4-3 in the first set, both players had only conceded 5 points on their serve.

Kohlschreiber had only conceded one of those points. He was almost faultless in his opening three service games.

Then, on the Kohlschreiber serve in the 8th game of the set, the match swung through three unforced errors.

At 15-15, the German would concede three of the next four points, to be broken by Tomic.

Tomic took the momentum, saved two break back points, and took the first set 6-3.

In the second set, Tomic made it five games in a row, with an early break.

Kohlschreiber, still reeling from the first set, went 0-40 down in the first three points of the set.

He would lose his serve in the opening game of the 2nd set to hand the Queenslander a 2-0 lead in the second set.

The Australian wouldn’t be troubled for the rest of the match as he won plenty of free points on the serve.

That ten minute spell at the end of the first set, and the start of the second, cost Kohlschreiber dearly.

He actually lost less points on his serve than Tomic during the match but lost the vital points when it counted.

Tomic was better under pressure.

Tomic will now face Gilles Muller in the quarter final.

After today’s action, and the elimination of seeds 2, 3 and 7, the bottom half of the draw – which contains Tomic – doesn’t contain a seed.

The draw has opened up for the Australian and he could make his third straight final at the Sydney event.

If he does do that, he could be Australia’s new number 1 by Monday.

Two more wins, and a place in the final, will give Tomic that mantle.

It all starts tomorrow with a winnable match against Gilles Muller.

Follow Shane Jones on twitter @southendaussies.

Match preview:

Bernard Tomic will be looking for three straight quarter final appearances at the Sydney International when he takes on German number one, Philipp Kohlschreiber, tonight on Ken Rosewall Arena. Join The Roar for a live blog of the match from around 9:00pm AEDT.

After impressing yesterday against Igor Sijsling in the first round, Tomic will now face 4th seed, Philipp Kohlschreiber, for a chance to make the quarter finals again.

The Sydney event has become a happy hunting ground for the Australian. He won his first title here in 2013 defeating Kevin Anderson in the final.

Last year, he made the final again, losing to Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets. Yesterday, against Sijsling, he showed the same form that got him into the final for the last two years.

The 6-1 6-2 win was built on great serving and an attack on the 2nd serve of Sijsling. On serve Tomic only lost nine points during the match.

In return, he attacked the Sijsling second serve, and won 11 out of the 17 points between the two.
Tonight he faces a tougher prospect in Kohlschreiber.

The German, who is the world number 24, has won five singles titles in his career and made the quarter finals at Wimbledon in 2012.

He will provide a stern test for the Australian tonight.

Despite playing on the circuit for almost 14 years, this year is his first appearance at the Sydney International.
His usual lead-up event has been the Auckland International in New Zealand. That event has been a successful one for the German.

He won the event in 2009 and was a finalist in 2013. He will be looking to repeat that performance in Sydney.
Kohlschreiber leads the head to head between the two, winning their only meeting at the French Open in 2009.
The 6-1 6-2 6-2 win by the German was Tomic’s first ever appearance at Roland Garros after being given a wildcard by Tennis Australia.

Tonight’s contest should be much closer.

Tomic has improved greatly over the last five and a half years and the match tonight is on a surface that the Australian is better at.

The German was also in form during that event. In the third round he would defeat Novak Djokovic in straight sets on his way to a fourth round exit against Tommy Robredo.

He is the last player to defeat the Joker at that stage of a Grand Slam event.

The key to this match is the serve. Tomic will need to serve like he did against Sijsling to beat Kohlschreiber.

Plenty of first serves and free points will be vital for the Australian. The other area of focus for Tomic will be at the baseline.

Kohlschreiber’s game is based around the baseline. If Tomic can control the rallies tonight then he is a good chance of winning the match.

This match-up is a good one for Tomic. Kohlschreiber’s power won’t worry the Australian and he can get into a lot of points with the German.

If he can hit plenty of winners then the Australian should win the match. Tomic is the favourites with the bookies and I agree with them. The Australian’s form in Sydney, and the match-up, is perfect for him.
It might take three sets for the Aussie to win the match but I predict the Australian to make the quarter finals for the third straight year.

Prediction: Tomic 2-1.