2011 Heineken Open: Thomaz Bellucci wins opening match in Auckland
23-year-old Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil won his opening round match of the 2011 Heineken Open on Tuesday.
The left-hander got the better of American qualifier Michael Russell in three sets with a final score line of 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. The battle concluded in almost three hours.
Meanwhile, Romanian Victor Hanescu also posted a three setter first round win against Kevin Anderson of South Africa. The final match score was 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. He will next meet Nicolas Almagro, the second seed player, in Auckland.
Bellucci is playing in Auckland for the second time in a row. Last year, he advanced into the second round before eventually bundling out of the event at the hands of Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Thomaz, who is currently ranked number 31 in the South African Airways ATP list, started off the match strongly. He broke his opponent during the seventh game of the opening set and then maintained that dominance to win the first set.
After losing the opening set, Michael however did not lose hope and was not ready to give up as he further improved his game to give a tough time to the seventh seed Thomaz. He won the final three games to level the match at one set apiece.
In the decisive set, Russell was pushed backwards after having a good start when Thomaz bounced back to level the scoreboard. The professional tennis ace from Brazil then received two match points during the twelfth game, but could not convert them. However,
he emerged victorious when he broke Russell on his third match point.
By virtue of this win, Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, who made his debut on the ATP tour back in 2005, will take on Tommy Robredo of Spain in the second round. The Spaniard made his way in round two in Auckland after thrashing out Kiwi contender Michael Venus
in three sets.
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