Andrei Daescu, Guillermo Alcorta Olarra through to final qualifying round – Tulsa Challenger 2011
Qualifying second seed Andrei Daescu of Romania eased past American Robert Verzaal 6-3, 6-0 on Sunday to book his place in the final round of 2011 TULSA Open Challengers qualification tournament here in Oklahoma, United States.
The Romanian looked in commanding form in match that lasted for only 1 hour and 1 minute on the hard courts of Oklahoma. He took some time to settle down in the match but once he started to feel comfortable out there, he made most
of the opportunities and he dashed his amazing forehand and backhand winners all over the court.
Seeded second at the challenger’s tournament, Daescu was delighted with his performance and he aimed to give similar results in the upcoming matches as well. However, he must improve his serve considerably if he wants pose any
kind of threat to other top seeded players at the competition.
Looking to qualify for the main draw, Daescu made a strong start to the match. Breaking the serve early in the opening set, he raced to 3-1 lead in a blink of an eye. Holding on to his serves games as well, he consolidated on his
lead to establish complete control over the contest. Not allowing his opponent any room, he hit the ball really hard from deep behind the baseline. Dashing a stunning forehand winner down the line, the American made three set points available to him at 5-3.
Converting the first one with a lovely passing shot, he took 1-0 set score lead.
In the second set, Daescu did not allow his opponent to breathe as he looked in hurry to close out the match. Breaking the serve at regular intervals, he closed all the doors for the challenger. Not dropping a single game in the
set, world number 681 completed his victory in a great style.
Meanwhile, Spanish tennis pro Guillermo Alcorta Olarra also secured his place in the final round with solid 6-4, 6-4 victory over Eric West of United States.
Olarra was certainly not at his best in the match as he hit only 53 per cent of his first serves. However his ability to play the big points well proved to be the main difference between the contestants. The Spaniard converted
three out of break points in the match to clinch game score lead at crucial moments.
West served brilliantly but he was unable to handle the pressure. Securing only one out of four break chances, he did not help himself.
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