Albert Montanes edges past Mikhail Kukushkin into second round – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2011
In an exciting opening round clash at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, the 56th ranked Spanish veteran, Albert Montanes, battled past world number 63, Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, on Monday afternoon.
Being played at the outdoor hard courts of the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, the local crowd witnessed an enthralling game of tennis between the two contestants. Montanes battled extremely
hard for two hours and twelve minutes of play to wind up the three-set thriller, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5), making his way to the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Master Series event.
The 30-year-old Spaniard registered his only 22nd World Tour-level victory in the current year, with 23 defeats already to his name. He avenged his defeat at the hands of the Kazakh opponent, as Kukushkin outplayed the
Spaniard in the opening round of the US Open earlier this season. Montanes improved his head-to-head record 2-1 against Kukushkin in the singles matchups and a booked a berth in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
The unseeded Spaniard reeled off 52 out of 69 first serve points in the matchup, as Kukushkin lagged far behind with just 36 points to finish on the losing side. Montanes coughed nine double faults in the contest but kept winning
crucial points in the match to come out as the winner.
An action-packed opening set was witnessed, with two men exchanging a total of five cracking serve breaks to take of the match. Montanes eventually clinched the opener at 6-2 but Kukushkin forced his way back in business after
pocketing the second set at 7-5. Both contestants traded one serve break apiece in the final set, before the Spaniard closed out the contest in the tie breaker round, 7-6(5).
Montanes will compete against the world number 12, Gilles Simon of France, in the next encounter to fight for a place in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. The eighth seeded Frenchman received a bye to have a direct access
to the second round of the tournament.
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