Andreas Seppi struggles past David Nalbandian in the semis – Serbia Open 2012
Holding the number 46th spot in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Rankings, the Italian tennis ace, Andreas Seppi, had to go through some tough channels before hunting down the world number 49, David Nalbandian, in the semi-final brawl of the Serbia Open on Saturday. He bettered the former world number three in a gruelling three-set battle in Belgrade, Serbia, settling the final scores at 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, to earn a title shot at this ATP World Tour 250 event.
It took one hour and 52 minutes for Seppi to take down the Argentine tennis ace and booking a spot in the final of the Serbia Open in style. The 28-year-old displayed a brilliant display of pin-point hitting to turn the tables on Nalbandian, who was leading the match by 1-0 after the opening set. Seppi’s victory improved his head-to-head record by 1-2 against the Argentine and crafted his first title-winning opportunity of the running season.
Seppi was off to a sloppy start in the opening set, letting Nalbandian plenty of chances to get the upper hand in the game. Nalbandian converted both of his break opportunities to race away a substantial lead of 5-2 and served out of the opener to get 1-0 in the match.
Tide turned in the very next set when Seppi came out with all his guns blazing and fired a number of assertive winners to gain the impetus in the game. He cashed in two out of four break points and secured 11 out of 16 first serve points to seal the second set at 6-2, levelling the match scores at one-all.
With the opening two sets split among the both contenders, the decisive third set was bound to be a cracker. Seppi and Nalbandian fought desperately to stay alive in the competition and an early trade of break points was witnessed in the set. The decider was heading for a tie-breaking round at 5-5 but an all-important serve break from the Italian turned the course of the match. Seppi concluded his emphatic victory by winning the third set at 7-5, marching into the final of the Serbia Open with authority.
Seppi is slated to take on the 22-year-old French competitor, Benoit Paire, in the title round of the tournament on Sunday. Paire registered a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, win against the world number 38, Pablo Andujar, in the semi-final round to book a date with Seppi in the title clash of the Serbia Open.
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