Daniel Smethurst stuns Bobby Reynolds in opening round – JSM Challenger 2012
British challenger, Daniel Smethurst, surprised everyone after shocking fifth seed, Bobby Reynolds, in gruelling straight sets at the JSM Challenger of Champaign 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the 30-year-old in the first round
at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event held in Champaign, United States.
The underdog upset his rival after showing exceptional skills in his opening match in their first encounter. After stealing the limelight in one hour and 19 minutes, Smethurst comfortably advanced into the second round at this hard court tournament taking
place from 10th to 17th November.
The world number 144, Reynolds made a drastic entry at the Champaign hard courts. He suffered first blow in the second game and fell at 0-3. The American seed held his remaining serves with poise but the initial blow cost the set. He dusted away only two
out of three breakpoints he came across and failed to create any break chance, eventually endured a 3-6 loss.
Ranked 363rd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Smethurst kept momentum rolling in the following set. He suffered the first blow in the second game and fell at 0-2. However, he not only recovered in the very next game but remained
focused, eventually bagging his remaining serves with poise. The Brit got the breakthrough in the ninth game and eventually sealed the set by winning six games to four.
On the whole, the 22-year-old spilled seven double faults but fired five aces to neutralise the effect. He sought nine break chances and clobbered a better first serve share of 61 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 53 per cent. Smethurst also brilliantly
clicked 28 out of 36 points on it and ended the match with 64 points.
Up next for Smethurst is another local contestant, Rhyne Williams, who trashed his compatriot Austin Krajicek in straight sets to progress.
The eighth seed, Alex Kuznetsov, suffered a similar fate later that day. He suffered a 4-6, 6-7(4) shock against his compatriot, Tennys Sandgren, in one hour and 46 minutes. Kuznetsov broke his opponent’s serve once but was broken twice in this battle.
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