Conor Niland vaporises Ivan Navarro in first round – Salzburg Indoors 2011 CH
In a match between two 30-year-old veterans, Irish Conor Niland blasted past Spain’s Ivan Navarro with a breadstick and a bagel at the Salzburg Indoors 2011, an ATP Challenger Tour event held on the indoor hard courts in Salzburg,
Austria. He registered an exceptional 6-1, 6-0 sore line against the Spaniard, ranked 184th in the ATP World Tour rankings, to advanced into the second round on Monday.
World number 209 Niland took almost an hour to cripple the Spaniard on their third meeting including one in this event last year. He not only advanced into the pre-quarters round but also inched towards the $85,000 prize money.
The Birmingham-born Niland stormed into the Salzburg arena and reeled off first three games in a row before Navarro could hold on. He maintained consistency in his game to wipe out last three games as well and earned a breadstick.
The Irish clobbered an amazing first serve share of 72 percent as compared to Navarro’s 46 percent and registered an impressive 72 percent win on it. He also defended both breakpoints faced with his exceptional returns and converted
two out of eight breakpoint opportunities to his advantage.
Niland went berserk in the final set and went on a six games killing spree after unleashing his true form. He again saved both breakpoints faced and cashed in half of the six breakpoint opportunities to his advantage to bag a bagel.
The Irish produced a better first serve share of 71 percent as opposed to Spaniard’s 60 percent and earned a spectacular 83 percent win on it.
Up next for the defending champion Niland is the winner of the match between Germans, special exempt Mischa Zverev and qualifier Peter Gojowczyk.
Israeli Amir Weintraub will be joining the Irish in the second round. He warded off late resilience by the Czech Ivo Minar to register a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in one hour and eleven minutes.
World number 194th Weintraub saved the only breakpoint faced and cashed in the only breakpoint opportunity to his advantage in the fourth game to seal the opener by winning six games to three.
The right handed Israeli lost his track in the final set as he gifted away his opening serve and eventually went down 3-0. However, Weintraub recovered in the ninth game and dragged the set to a tie-breaker after keeping remaining
serves. He prevailed in it to clinch the set with a 7-6(4) win.
The Israeli will next confront top seeded Slovak Karol Beck who rallied past German Dominik Meffert in a three set thriller to reach this spot.
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