Adrian Ungur upsets Matthew Ebden in the first round – IPP Open 2011 CH
Romanian Adrian Ungur pulled up another major upset of the IPP Open Challenger tournament by defeating the superior ranked Australian, Matthew Ebden, in the first round encounter. On Tuesday November 22nd, both players
bumped for the first time in their life at hard court, Greenset in Helsinki, Finland. Ungur won the encounter in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour and 8 minutes.
Both players had the same winning ratio in the last nine matches but Ebden had played in Shanghai Open having started from the 1st qualifier and reaching to quarterfinals. It was a remarkable performance from the Australian
and with such a magnificent run of form in a Masters tournament, he looked all set to cruise into the advanced rounds being the fourth seeded participant.
Ungur had not qualified for any major tournament but he played some marvellous tennis in challenger tournaments and was all fired up to put a scintillating show against his first round competitor. Conventional start to the first
set helped both players to build up momentum and in the meantime winning their respective serve games.
The score moved 3-3 with both players smashing three aces across the court. Ungur just provided a single opportunity to the Australian to break his serve that frustrated his opponent. Ebden committed a silly double-fault in the
seventh game.
Ungur won a breakpoint opportunity and broke the game with a breathtaking backhand that landed on the opposite corner of where Ebden was standing. Australian needed to break back instantaneously but he couldn’t that left him trailing
with one set.
Romanian started the second set in commanding fashion and broke his opponent’s serve to take 1-0 lead; followed it up with couple of aces in the second game to make a major impact and take 2-0 lead. Fourth seed couldn’t compose
him at all and started to fall apart in all aspects of the game.
Overconfidence from earlier terrific performances proved to be the downfall of World No.87, Ebden. He never expected such an early exit and hence might have taken it a bit too easy. Ungur continued his prolific performance and
hammered his opponent to all parts of the court.
He broke again in the fifth game to take 4-1 lead and there was no way back for the Australian from that stage. The set was up in a flash and Adrian Ungur marched into the second round with a major upset.
Adrian Ungur meets the Russian qualifier, Mikhail Elgin, in the next round.
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