Carlos Berlocq, Kei Nishikori advance to the second round – Western & Southern Open 2012
Carlos Berlocq beats Santiago Giraldo 7-5, 6-3
Argentina’s world number 45, Carlos Berlocq, dismissed the 46th ranked, Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round of Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
The Argentinean participant took one hour and 31 minutes to undo Giraldo.
Berlocq and Giraldo won their serve in the opening eight games to equalise the score at 4-4. The Argentinean contender stuck in the ninth to move ahead 5-4 but was unable to serve it out at that moment, taking the score to 5-5.
With the momentum on his side, Berlocq claimed two more games to seal it 7-5.
There was no break of serve in the first four games of the second set, evening out the proceedings at 2-2. Giraldo hit a blow to Berlocq in the fifth to attain a 3-2 lead but just like the previous occasion, he did not succeed
in winning even a single game later on and lost it 3-6.
Berlocq bombarded a total of nine aces and did not commit any double fault in the match. The 6ft tall contestant saved three of the five break points he faced and converted four of the six he received in the second set.
The Argentinean player will lock horns with the 10th seed, Mardy Fish of USA, in the second round.
Kei Nishikori defeats Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2
14th seed, Kei Nishikori of Japan, scored a one sided victory against Spain’s Marcel Granollers to reach the second round. The Japanese player allowed his opponent to claim just three games in the entire match, winning
it 6-1, 6-2 in just an hour and five minutes.
Nishikori did not allow the Spanish contestant to settle down in the match, as he grabbed opening three games to build a 3-0 lead. Granollers held his serve in the fourth to open his account on the scoreboard but lost three more
back to back later on to go down 1-6.
In the second set, Nishikori and Granollers held their opening serves to level the score at 1-1. The Japanese star allowed his Spanish opponent to win only one more game afterwards, closing it 6-2.
Nishikori banged in four aces but he wasted the advantage by committing the same number of double faults. The 22-year-old won most of the points on his first serves and second returns, claiming 25 of the 30 and 12 of the 17 points
on them respectively in the match.
The Japanese contender will take on local player, James Blake, in the round of 32.
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