Andre Begemann vs Grega Zemlja – Preview: AEGON Pro-Series Loughborough 2011 CH
The second round of the 2011 AEGON Loughborough Challenger will continue on November 10, 2011 when Andre Begemann (Germany) will play against Greg Zemlja (Slovenia). The match would be an evenly matched competition as both players
have been on a great run in the tournament.
They both would like to win their match and cruise into the quarterfinals of the tournament. From a broader perspective, they would be definitely be eyeing the finals of the 2011 Loughborough Challenger and their aim would be to
win it, an attempt to improve their world rankings and giving them a chance to make a name for themselves in the ATP circuit.
Going into the match, Zemlja would have an advantage over Begemann as the Slovenian has played more matches in the ATP circuit than Begemann. Zemlja has a 114/103 win/loss ratio while Begemann stands with statistics of 39/43.
The Slovenian would most certainly have an upper hand because he can maintain a lead in the early goings of the first set and then create a lead over the German as the match progresses.
Zemlja can also counter Begemann with his service games as the Slovenian can score with his aces and then break into the German’s service games. Zemlja should not be overconfident with his service games as Begemann can very well
counter attack with his decent run with the racquet, as he has shown in recent tournaments.
However, Zemlja’s experience of playing and winning more on hard courts than the German will give the Slovenian a definite dominance in the match. On hard courts, Zemlja has a win/loss ratio of 55/40 while the German has a win/loss
ratio of 18/16.
In the ongoing 2011 AEGON Loughborough Challenger, Zemlja defeated Julian Reister (Germany) 6-4, 6-3. His straight set win will give a morale booster as he faces Begemann in the second round to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Begemann, on the other hand, won his match against Timo Nieminen (Finland) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. He had to fight for a win against Nieminen as the match entered the third set.
Zemlja can create hurdles for Begemann in their match if he can get the German confused with his aces. Just like Begemann had to fight against Nieminen in the first round, the German may face resistance from his Slovenian opponent
in the second round match.
If the German gives the slightest of room to the Slovenian, then Zemlja can very much take a wide lead into the set. It might be possible that Begemann bounces back by winning a set, but with Zemlja’s record against the German,
it is quite possible that the Slovenian can win the match and enter the quarterfinals.
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