Denis Istomin upsets Marcel Granollers to reach the quarter-finals – AEGON International 2012
Ranked 41st in the world, Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin gave a brilliant performance to down the second seed, Marcel Granollers of Spain, in three sets 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2) in the round of 16 at the AEGON International in Eastbourne,
London on Wednesday. The Uzbek contestant needed two hours and 16 minutes to record a hard-fought victory.
Istomin and Granollers started the match by holding their serve in the first two games and levelling the scores at 1-1. Istomin completely dominated the proceedings after that, as he did not lose even a single game, breaking his
opponent two times and securing five in a row to capture the opener 6-1.
The Moscow resident banged in three aces and did not make any double fault, keeping his first serve percentage at 56 in the opening set. He had a remarkable conversion rate, pocketing nine of the 10 first and seven of the eight
second delivery points. The Uzbek did not face any break point and converted two of the three he received.
After winning the opener quite easily, Istomin started the second set from where he left the first one, as he broke the Spaniard in the very first game and held his next serve to attain a 2-0 lead. However, Granollers struck back
in the sixth and evened out the proceedings at 3-3. The Spaniard hit another blow in the 10th and closed it 6-4.
Granollers fired three aces and 69 percent of the first serves, clinching 15 of the 20 points on them. The 23rd ranked player performed impressively on the second returns, claiming nine of the 15 points. The 26-year-old
failed to put away the only break threat he came across but compensated that by utilising two of the five opportunities he created.
In the final set, both players gave a stunning display of big serves, as they did not allow each other to break until the end, equalling the proceedings at 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Istomin started off by gaining a 3-0 lead
and maintained it all the way to triumph 7-6(2).
The Uzbek survived five aces from Granollers and hit a couple of his own in the decider. The 6ft and 2in tall maintained a first serve percentage of 72 and converted 28 of the 33 of them into points.
Istomin is drawn to meet Ryan Harrison of USA for a place in the last four.
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