Andrey Golubev crushes Matwe Middelkoop in qualifiers – Kremlin Cup 2012
Qualifying eighth seed, Andrey Golubev from Kazakhstan, stomped over the Dutch challenger, Matwe Middelkoop, in straight sets at the Kremlin Cup 2012 on Sunday. He juggled up a 6-3, 6-2 victory against the world number 288 to secure a place in the final round of the qualifying competition at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 Series event taking place from 13th to 21st October in Moscow.
The Russian-born Golubev stayed on track to bid for his second career title after overpowering Middelkoop in their first encounter. After earning the glory in 53 minutes, the Kazakh convincingly entered the final round of the qualifying competition at this indoor hard court event.
Golubev thundered into the Olympic Stadium and broke the Dutchman’s opening serve in the second game to take the initial lead. He plucked his entire serves without encountering any barrier and pulled out the opener with a 6-3 success. The Kazakh cashed the lone break opportunity to inch towards the glory.
Ranked 155th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Golubev improved his winning ways in the following set. He got the critical break in the opening game and jumped to a 2-0 lead. The Kazakh held his following serves with conviction and capitalised on another break chance in the second last game, eventually sealing the set by winning six games to two.
On the whole, Golubev fired five aces and nudged up a slightly better first serve share of 65 per cent as compared to his rival’s 64 per cent. He also spectacularly availed 28 out of 30 points on it and ended the deal with 53 points.
The 25-year-old will next face fourth seeded Michael Berrer who crushed the Georgian challenger, Nikoloz Basilashvili, with a breadstick to set up this duel.
The third seed, Edouard Roger-Vasselin from France, will accompany Golubev in the final qualifying round. He trashed the Belarusian challenger, Dzmitry Zhyrmont, with a breadstick in 53 minutes. The French contender lost his serve once but cashed six out of seven break chances to formulate a 6-2, 6-1 success. He produced a better first serve share and amazingly marked 19 out of 23 points on it.
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