Dennis Lajola upsets Rajeev Ram in the qualifiers – SAP Open 2012
In an all-American duel, Dennis Lajola shocked the qualifying top seed, Rajeev Ram, in straight sets at the SAP Open 2012 on Sunday. He warded off late resistance to pen down a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over the world number 153 to advance into the final round
of the qualifying competition at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in San Jose, California.
Lajola suffered the first blow in both sets but not only recovered afterwards but also pulled out the victory after capitalising on three out of seven break chances. He required one and half hour to oust his higher ranked compatriot in their first meeting.
Ranked 719th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Lajola made a shaky entry in the opening set and gifted away his serve in the third game. He was trailing at 2-4 when he rebounded and reeled off the last four games successively,
eventually bagging the opener with a 6-4 win.
The lower ranked Lajola lost his momentum again in the following set and went 2-0 down after losing his opening serve. The youngster recovered again in the eighth game and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. He dominated in it and clinched the set with a 7-6(4)
score line.
The 23-year-old showed tremendous skills and abilities throughout the match. He fired nine aces, coughed fewer errors and defended three out of five breakpoints he faced. Lajola also formulated a slightly lower first serve share of 55 percent as opposed
to his compatriot’s 59 percent and magnificently marked 33 out of 42 points on it.
Next challenge for the unseeded American is the Indian challenger, Yuki Bhambri, who cashed in all three break chances to trash the South African competitor, Fritz Wolmarans, in straight sets, subsequently setting-up this meeting.
Third seed Michael Yani also became casualty of the day. He was leading in the second set by 1-0 when he felt severe pain and retired from the event. His opponent, Bulgaria’s Dimitar Kutrovsky, automatically advanced into the final round of the qualifiers.
The American seed suffered the first blow in the ninth game and trailed at 4-5. Despite recovering in the very next game, he lost his serve again in the eleventh game and ultimately registered a 5-7 shock.
Yani comfortably held his opening serve in the second set but was forced to retire due to an injury he picked up in the first set.
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