Di Wu overcomes Riccardo Bellotti in the second round – Karshi Challenger 2012
China’s world number 227, Di Wu, bounced back from one set to love down to defeat 376th ranked, Riccardo Bellotti of Italy, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the second round of Karshi Challenger in Uzbekistan on Wednesday.
Bellotti struck in the opening game to go up 1-0 but Wu hit back immediately to even out the score at 1-1. However, the Italian claimed four of the next five games to race to a 5-2 lead. Wu tried to comeback, as he won following
two games to reduce the trail to 4-5 but he could not come on equal terms, losing it 4-6.
The Chinese was not up to the mark on serve, as he hit only one ace and committed three double faults. On the other hand, Bellotti fired two aces and did not make any double fault. Other serve and return statistics were also quite
average from both players but the Italian gave a better performance on crucial moments, converting three of the five break points he received in the opener.
Wu came roaring in the second set, capturing first three games to build a 3-0 advantage. Serving to stay in the set at 2-5, Bellotti failed in holding and went down 2-6.
The Chinese participant neither delivered an ace nor committed any double fault in the second set, maintaining a first serve percentage of 69 and securing 10 of the 18 points on them. The right-hander gave his best showing on the
second deliveries, converting seven of the eight of them into points. The Chinese contender did not provide any break opportunity to Bellotti.
Start of decider was steady in contrast to the first two sets, as both players won their serve in the first eight games to equalise the score at 4-4. Bellotti snatched a break in the ninth to move ahead 5-4 but he failed to close
out the match at that moment, losing his serve to take the score to 5-5. Momentum shifted on Wu’s side and he grabbed two more games to win 7-5.
The Chinese contender kept his first serve percentage at 75 and won 25 of the 38 points on them. The 20-year-old availed two of the five break chances he created in the final set.
Wu required two hours and 19 minutes to topple his opponent in an equally contested encounter.
The Chinese player will face the seventh seed, Kamil Capkovic, in the quarter-finals.
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