Andrew Courtney prevails over Stefano Ianni in the initial qualifier – Tiburon Challenger 2012 CH
The local veteran, Andrew Courtney, underplayed the Italian challenger, Stefano Ianni, in an atrocious three-setter of the Tiburon Challenger 2012 held at the hard courts of California, United States. The American professional
taking advantage of his home ground, penned down his 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3, in nearly one hour and 24 minutes on Saturday.
The 42-year-old American assertively stepped on his soil with a determination to clinch the win. Surprisingly, both participants were resolute to secure the conquest and they skillfully warded off each other’s serve breaks without
facing much resistance. They continuously responded back by squaring the score line one after every game. Towards the end, Courtney nudged forward and concluded the set with a 7-6(3), after a moderately paced tiebreaker round.
The American participant maintained his lead by firing 12 aces and had a reasonable first serve precision of 68 percent, bagging away 26 of 32 first and six of 15 second serve points. The Italian junior had a comparatively enhanced
serve of 70 percent, securing 19 of 23 first and seven of 10 second serve points. He was unable to dominate the set because he was not able to capitalize on even a single serve break of the five.
The Italian right-hander made a classic comeback in the second set. He stamped his lead by cashing his opponent serve by firing exquisite backhands and reeled off the initial three games without any difficulty. This completely
crushed Courtney’s assurance, as he was unable to withstand his competitor’s pressure. Ianni stole the winning title with his 6-2 lead.
In the final set, the American senior retailed his lost moment, as he desperately wanted to bag home the victory. He broke the Italian’s serve and stamped a 2-love by the end of the second game, displaying his superior game plan
and experience. Courtney kept all his serves beautifully with poise and recovered the former loss by concluding the match with a 6-3 victory.
Both players equally attacked each other with two aces but the American took the lead 85 percent initial serve accuracy and winning 19 of 28 points. His rival secured just 70 percent first serve and was unable to secure even a
single break point.
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