Dimitar Kutrovsky beats Jason Tahir to enter first round – L, G & T Tennis Challenger 2011
Dimitar Kutrovsky flirted with defeat in the final qualifying round of Levene, Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger yesterday when he came close to defeat against American, Jason Tahir.
Kutrovsky, ranked 542 in the ATP Singles Rankings list, came within a few desperate break points before coming through 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
It was a two hours and one minute of fluctuating drama. Bulgarian crowd at Binghamton Tennis Court held its breath, wiped it brow, screamed its head off and, eventually, heaved the biggest sigh of relief for their hero, who clinched the match in a three-set thriller.
For Tahir, rated 1245 in the world, it was heartbreaking, who could not display his impressive tennis skills at the ending and lost the match with a difference of 10 points in total.
This was Tahir’s first meeting with the Bulgarian, who played the big points masterly and is now one up in their head-to-head score against the American.
Kutrovsky who lost the first set in no time, showed a champion’s fighting heart in coming back from one set down, he had, in truth, played poorly to get into that position in the first place. His serve was awry and his shots were missing their targets on regularity.
Tahir by contrast looked a street-fighting hustler who could hardly believe his luck at finding such an easy prey. In the end, he ended up battered in an alleyway, but for a long time it was desperately close.
Although Kutrovsky lost the first set, he quickly got his game back to force the third set and strolled through Tahir’s weakening with familiar ease.
Kutrovsky wrapped up the match with a whopping difference of 10 points in total as he scored four aces while committing an equal number of double-faults. Furthermore, he clinched 62 percent on his service, 44 percent on return and an acceptable 53 percent during the match. Meanwhile, Tahir lost the match by scoring 56 percent on service, 38 percent on return and 47 percent in total.
Emerging victorious, Kutrovsky now moves on into the final round of the main draw where he is scheduled to meet fifth-seeded Rogerio Dutra da Silva for a place in the second round of Levene, , Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger 2011, being played in Binghamton, United States.
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