Andreas Seppi crushes Victor Hanescu in the first round – Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 2012
Andreas Seppi of Italy scored a comprehensive win over qualifier, Victor Hanescu, in the first round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monaco on Tuesday. The world number 44 took just an hour to thrash Hanescu in straight sets
6-3, 6-1 and advance to the next round.
Seppi did not enter this tournament in his best form, as he had given below average performance in the last couple of events. The Italian was upset by the then world number 149, Roberto Bautista-Agut in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 3-6
in the opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open. Playing at a challenger event before that, Seppi was thrashed by out of practice, Tommy Haas, in straight sets 3-6, 2-6 in the first round.
The Italian made a shaky start even in this match, as he was broken in the second game of the first set to trail 0-2. However, Seppi raised the level of his game and claimed four successive games, attaining a 4-2 lead. He struck
once more and closed it 6-3.
Seppi was erratic on the second serves, as he lost eight of the 13 points on them, committing a couple of double faults. The Italian damaged his opponent with the help of his first deliveries and second returns, winning 13 of the
18 and six of the seven points on them respectively.
The 28-year-old was almost unstoppable in the second set, as he made breakthroughs in the second and fourth game to grab a 5-0 advantage. Hanescu succeeded in holding his following serve to open his account but he could not stop
Seppi from claiming it 6-1.
The Italian bombarded four aces and 80 percent of the first serves, capturing 15 of the 20 points on them in the second set. The 6ft 3in tall did not lose even a single point on the second return, pocketing all three of them.
Seppi has improved his record at the Monte Carlo Country Club to 7-6. He has never gone beyond the second round here, losing in the round of 32 on all of the six previous occasions. The Italian was beaten by Albert Montanes of
Spain in three sets 6-7(1), 6-3, 0-6 in 2010. Playing here for the first time in 2005, he succumbed to David Ferrer in straight sets 3-6, 3-6.
Chances are that the Italian will have no change in his fate, as he will play reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, in the second round this time.
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