David Nalbandian escaped defeat against Xavier Malisse in first round – If Stockholm Open 2011
In an enthralling opening round match at the If Stockholm Open, former world number three, David Nalbandian of Argentina, edged past 51st ranked Belgian, Xavier Malisse, on Tuesday evening.
Being played on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm, Sweden, the local crowd witnessed a nail biting contest between the Nalbandian and Malisse. The Argentine laboured for two hours and forty one minutes of play before settling
the final scores at 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(3), to make it to the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event.
Nalbandian dropped the opening set early in the contest to fall on his back foot but regrouped very well in the following set to make his way back in business. The unseeded Argentine had to face two match points in the second set
tie breaker but he defended both of them with great mastery to stay alive in the competition. Nalbandian took the second and then the third set tie breaker to turn the tables on Malisse, driving him out of the Stockholm Open in the very first round.
It was Nalbandian’s 21st victory in the running ATP season and it improved his head-to-head to 5-1 against Malisse in singles encounters. Their last meeting in Miami Masters in 2008 resulted in a straight sets victory
for Malisse, 6-1, 6-4, but the Belgian crumbled under pressure this time round to let his opponent take the better of him. Malisse was on the verge of victory on two occasions but couldn’t deliver the final blow to seal the matchup and eventually finished
on the losing side.
The Argentine delivered just 56 per cent of his serve on target, registering eight aces and seven double faults en route to victory. He converted three of his 10 break opportunities in reply to Malisse’s four break point conversions
to come out as the winner. The Belgian took the opener with two serve breaks and reached two match points in the second set tie breaker but squandered the priceless opportunities to let Nalbandian back in the competition. The Argentine then cruised through
the third set tie breaker to record a memorable victory at 7-6(4).
Up next for Nalbandian in the second round of the tournament is the seventh seeded Croat competitor, Ivan Dodig. The Croatian ousted Adrian Mannarino of France in the first round encounter to take on Nalbandian for a place in the
quarter-final of the If Stockholm Open.
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