Cermak/ Polasek battle past Marach/ Marrero into second round – Valencia Open 2011
Unseeded team of Czech Frantisek Cermak and Slovak Filip Polasek moved into the second round of the 2011 Valencia Open 500 doubles draw on Wednesday, 2nd November. Cermak/Polasek bounced back from a set down to secure
a 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-5 win over Austrian Spaniard tandem of Olivier Marach and David Marrero in an hour and thirty six minutes.
In their first meeting on tour, the Cermak/ Polasek rushed to secure a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head series between the two teams.
Opening serve, Marach and Marrero comfortably made it on the scoreboard with Cermak/ Polasek following closely at their heels. The toe-to-toe run between the two teams continued all throughout the set keeping the scoreboard ticking
on even terms. Although Cermak/Polasek were broken once in the sixth game, they immediately broke back in the next game to bring the score to even terms, forcing the set into a tiebreaker.
Neither of the teams let up in the tiebreaker. Continuing to fight tooth and nail, both teams managed to keep the score tied for the first ten points. It was only on the eleventh that Marach/Marrero capitalised on an errant stroke
to reel off two straight points, clinch the tiebreaker 7-5 and go one up in the set score.
Down but not out, Cermak/Polasek bounced back with double the fury. Breaking their opponents early on in the second set at 2-1, the eventual winners went 3-1 in the score. Riding the single breakpoint opportunity, the Czech Slovak
duo served out the set at 5-3 to bring the set score to even terms.
A set win a piece forced the match into a deciding tiebreaker. Determined to win the decider, both teams progressed on equal footing for the first ten points. However, kicking into high gear Cermak/Polasek held their opponents
to five points as they reeled off five straight to clinch the tiebreaker 10-5, ensuring their survival at the event.
Cermak/Polasek now move into the second round of the event where they will play the top seeded team of the American twins, Bob and Mike Bryan.
In another first round match of the day, unseeded team of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer upset the second seeded team of Poles, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski. Taking only eighty minutes, the unseeded team converted
two of ten breakpoint opportunities to their advantage to secure a straight sets 7-5, 6-4 win over their seeded rivals. Butorac/ Rojer now move on ahead to play the local wildcard entrants, Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Pere Riba.
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