Berdych shaky in Legg Mason opening round
Fresh off his Wimbledon finals appearance past July, Thomas Berdych defeated Dmitry Tursunov of Russia with a final tally of 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-1, despite struggling to move into the lead in the first two sets of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic match in Washington.
The world number eight ranked Czech player is top-seeded at the tournament, but has laid relatively low-key following his ascent into the Wimbledon final, where he lost out to world number one Rafael Nadal. In fact, his face-off against Tursunov was the first competitive match he’s played during the last month.
It was evident that Berdych was struggling to get into momentum against Tursunov, as he lost his first service break, only to regain it in the following game. Despite winning the gruelling first round tie-break, Berdych failed to follow up in the second round, allowing Tursunov to take the lead to claim the match at 6-4.
Berdych comes to in third set
The 24-year-old Czech was finally able to regain composure to take a commanding lead right from the start, winning the set, and taking home the match victory after two hours of play. It’s difficult to say whether Tursunov was in top form, as he was forced to take extended time off the courts following an ankle injury. The Russian was sidelined for almost a full year, sitting courtside from last July to May of this year.
Berdych on career high
This has proven to be an impeccable season for the Czech player, with successful runs at two Grand Slams, as well as a second place finish at the Sony Ericsson Open. Before losing to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon final, Berdych was able to beat out heavy-hitters such as Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the All England Club. Just months earlier, he advanced to the semifinals at the 2010 French Open at Roland Garros.
Berdych is undoubtedly sitting on a huge reserve of talent and potential, with his capacity to overpower his opponent, helped by his tall stature and commanding service game.
Into the quarters again
In an impressive run, Berdych has made it to the quarterfinals in a total of eight tournaments this season. He is looking to repeat these results here at the Legg Mason Classic, with the chance to beat out Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan, who is seeded 16th at the tournament. In their previous meeting in the first round of Wimbledon past July, Berdych defeated Golubev in a straight set win.
Tags: