Bobby Reynolds, Chris Eaton though to the second round – Tulsa Challenger 2011
Number three seed Bobby Reynolds of United States managed to avoid a major upset on Monday as he came back from a set deficit to down compatriot Blake Strode 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 to book his place in the second round of 2011 Tulsa
Challenger in Oklahoma, United States.
Ranked 118th in the world, Reynolds looked a bit out of sorts early on in the match. Unable to get any timing on his crucial forehand shot, he gifted several points to his opponent. Strode grabbed opportunities with
both hands and he broke the serve to take vital 4-2 lead in the opening set.
Breaking straight back, Reynolds managed to stay in the set with some high quality tennis. Forcing errors from his opponent, he took the opening set into a tie-breaker. However Strode showed great determination and hard courts
skills to clinch four straight points in the tie-breaker to take 1-0 set score lead.
Reynolds lifted his game to higher level in the following set. Looking for an entry back into match, he played some solid tennis in the second set to earn his second serve break of the match. Trailing the game score 2-4, Strode
made several attempts to break his opponent. However, he was unsuccessful as Reynolds held on to his serve games to clinch set.
Both players tried to get the upper hand in the third and final set. After the contestants held on to their service games, the match entered a very exciting phase with the game score evened at 4-4. Reynolds broke the serve for
the third time in the match to earn a tricky 5-4 lead, looking to serve out the match.
Saving a couple of match points, Strode put up a brave fight. However, he committed a backhand error on the third break point to let Reynolds complete a deserving win in a match that lasted for 2 hours and 32 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chris Eaton of Great Britain also secured a place in the second round with a superb 6-1, 6-1 victory over Swiss tennis pro Luca Margaroli.
Eaton looked in an aggressive mood in a match that lasted for only 52 minutes on the hard courts of Oklahoma. Dropping only a couple of games in the match, he overwhelmed the challengers in almost all aspects of the game. He will
be hoping to continue his good form in the upcoming matches as well.
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