Alex Bogomolov Jr. stuns Nikolay Davydenko in opening round – Kremlin Cup 2012
In an-all Russian affair, Alex Bogomolov Jr. shocked his fifth seeded compatriot Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets at the Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 7-5, 6-4 victory against the former world number three to power into the second round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 Series event held in Moscow, Russia.
Bogomolov showed exception skills and agility to shock the 31-year-old in their second encounter at this indoor hard court event. After registering this success in one hour and 34 minutes, the Florida resident not only avenged his loss at the Beijing Open few days ago but also levelled the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-1 against his fellow citizen.
"It was emotionally tough on both of us, especially playing in our homeland," said the lower ranked Russian in an interview after stealing the spotlight. "I was very aggressive to end the first set and then went up 4-0 in the second set. Again, Nikolay displayed some great tennis from the back of the court and was able to climb back to 4-4. I kept my composure and I think that was the main reason I was able to pull it out."
The 29-year-old made a convincing entry at the Olympic Stadium. He drew the first blood in the second game and took a 2-0 lead. Bogomolov squandered his edge in the very next game but broke his opponent’s serve again to leap to a 5-3 lead. Regardless of losing his edge in the proceeding game, the younger Russian got the breakthrough in the last game and clicked the opener with a 7-5 win.
Ranked 96th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings, Bogomolov went berserk in the following set and went on a four-game rampage. Regardless of stepping off gas afterwards and levelling the scores at 4-4, the lower ranked Russian stayed calm. He cashed another break chance in the last game and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
Bogomolov will face off the winner of the match between Italy’s Simone Bolelli and the Croatian contender, Ivo Karlovic.
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