Alexandr Dolgopolov eases past Alejandro Falla in the first round – Brisbane International 2012
World number fifteen, Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, eased past his Colombian opponent, Alejandro Falla, in straight sets 7-6(3), 6-2 during the first round clash of Brisbane International. The matchup was contested on hard courts
in Brisbane, Australia and lasted for almost one hour and 21 minutes before the Ukrainian sealed the second round spot.
It was the first encounter between the two players and considering their recent form, Dolgopolov was not in sublime form after losing most of his last ten encounters whilst his opponent was relatively enjoying a good run of form.
It seems like the season break played its part and Ukrainian’s practice session during the holidays has enhanced his game play to a certain new level.
The contest was off to an enthralling start, as the Ukrainian was on top of his game and smashed several winners in the opening game that helped him clinch the first break point of the match. He continued his hammering on his opponent
and took 2-0 lead upfront. It seemed like third seeded Ukrainian would cruise past his opponent in no time but Falla held his nerve and waited for his opportunity.
Superior ranked Ukrainian was leading the game 3-2 when he came across a major onslaught from the Colombian. Falla flabbergasted everyone by winning the break point that levelled the score at three games apiece.
Score kept ticking over with no major drama and it was 5-5 when the two players traded breaks that pushed the score to six games each. A tie-breaker round was enforced to decide the set between the two players. Falla looked a bit
worn out at the end of the twelfth game and that had an effect on his performance in the crucial tie breaker.
Colombian took a prolonged break and had some treatment from the physio before resuming the contest. He was not on top of his game and was tamed throughout the set by the third seed. Dolgopolov eased past his rival in the tie breaker
and bagged the first set.
The length of the first set seemed to have drained out the stamina from the Colombian. He couldn’t make an impact as he lost the second game of the set to his opponent on his serve. He managed to steal the break in the next game
but couldn’t hold on the moment and the score moved on to 3-2 in the favour of the superior ranked contender.
Severe onslaught from the Ukrainian in the next three games sealed him the second round berth as he managed to clinch two breaks. This triumph helps the third seed contender to inch closer to the season-opening championship title.
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