Albert Ramos upsets Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in a surprise three-setter at the Barcelona Open
Spanish tennis pro and wild card Albert Ramos scored a surprising victory over compatriot Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, defeating the higher-ranked player from a set down to secure a place in the second round of the 2011 Barcelona Open
Banc Sabadell. The match, which lasted a little over three hours and eleven minutes, concluded with Ramos setting up a 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 score-line.
The first set went to Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, who also hails from Spain. The player scored just once ace, but broke Ramos twice and fended off six break points himself to win two points more than his compatriot. This meant that
he took 51 per cent of the total points in the set, and began the match by setting up a 6-4 score-line for himself.
The second set was far more competitive, as Ramos seemed to pull himself together to try and get the best of Ramirez Hidalgo. He pushed the set into a tie-breaker, firing off one ace and breaking Ramirez Hidalgo thrice in the process.
By the end of the set, the player had taken five points more than his opponent to take the set 7-6(5). This was a surprising recovery, especially since the pro had given up the first set to Ramirez Hidalgo without much of a fight.
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo began the third set with a vengeance, and seemed determined to win. He quickly brought the score-line to 3-0, and it seemed as if the Spaniard would win the match against Ramos. However, the 23-year-old wild
card managed to wow audiences once again by recovering from the slump to catch up to Ramirez Hidalgo, until the score-line stood at an edgy 5-all. The Spaniard scored one more ace, and broke Ramirez Hidalgo twice in this set to win six points more than him.
This helped him to win the match 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.
Albert Ramos, who turned pro in 2007 and is currently ranked outside the ATP Top 100 at World Number 107, will be taking on either Santiago Giraldo of Columbia in the second round of the tournament.
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