Benneteau/ Chardy down Lopez/ Monaco to qualify for the second round of Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
Wild card entrants Julien Benneteau and Jeremy Chardy of France battled past Spanish/Argentinean pair of Marc Lopez and Juan Monaco in three sets 6-3, 6-7(1), 12-10 in the first round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monaco
on Tuesday. Benneteau and Chardy took one hour and 42 minutes to undo their opponents in a tough contest.
Lopez and Monaco broke Benneteau and Chardy in the second game of the opening set, taking a 2-0 lead. However, The French duo broke back immediately and held their serve in the next game to level the score at 2-2. Benneteau and
Chardy broke again in the seventh and ninth games, winning the first set 6-3.
The French team delivered a couple of aces and 65 per cent of the first serves in the opening set. Benneteau and Chardy won 62 percent of the points on their first serves. On the other hand, Lopez and Monaco hit 80 per cent of
the first serves, winning 50 percent of the points on them in the first set. The French team converted three of the five break points it received in the opening set.
In the second set, both pairs held their service in the first ten games to level the score at 5-5. Benneteau and Chardy broke their opponents in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead. Serving for the match at 6-5, the French
duo failed to hold its serve, taking the set to a tie-break. Lopez and Monaco were almost flawless in the tie-break, losing just one point to claim it 7-1.
The Spanish/Argentinean pair delivered one ace and did not commit any double fault in the second set. They fired in 70 percent of the first serves, converting 71 percent of them into points. Lopez and Monaco managed to save five
of the six break points they faced in the second set. On the other hand, Benneteau and Chardy could not save the only break point they faced in the second set.
The match tie-break saw a fierce battle between the two teams. However, it was the French team that handled the pressure better than its opponents, forcing Lopez and Chardy to make an error on the match point to win the match tie-break
12-10.
Benneteau and Chardy kept their first serves percentage at 82 percent and won 67 percent of the points on their first serve in the match tie-break.
The French team is slated to play Polish/Austrian pair of Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach in the second round. Kubot and Marach, seeded fourth at the event, received a bye in the first round.
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