Dmitry Tursunov ousts Teymuraz Gabashvili in the first round – ST. Petersburg Open 2011
World number 39, Dmitry Tursunov of Russia, outclassed his fellow compatriot, Teymuraz Gabashvili, in the opening round clash of the St. Petersburg Open on Tuesday evening.
Seeded at number eight in the tournament, Tursunov displayed his magnificent tennis skills once again to clinch victory in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, to move in to the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
World Tour 250 event.
The all-Russian affair was played on the indoor hard courts of the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with the two local natives battling it hard to come out as the winner. Gabashvili displayed his
brilliant tennis in the qualifying draw of the tournament but failed to carry on his winning impetus in the main round, ending his voyage at St. Petersburg Open in the very first round.
The Russian qualifier posed some resistance in the opening set but Tursunov was too good for his bleak game play. The Eighth seed exploited Gabashvili’s feeble baseline defence to his advantage, belting fiery winners down the line
on regularity to get the upper hand in the contest. He kept his clean record against his fellow countrymen, defeating him for the fourth time in a row in singles encounters. Their last meeting was held in Washington in 2010, where Tursunov wrapped up victory
in three sets, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. It was a more comprehensive victory for the Russian this time round and he eased his way to the second round of the tournament.
Despite of a below par serve of merely 51 per cent, the eighth seed Russian dropped just three points on his first serve, clinching 25 out of 18, to come out as the winner. He converted five out of nine break opportunities in the
matchup, while Gabashvili recorded just two serve breaks to finish on the losing side.
After an early exchange of serve breaks, the scores reached 5-5 in the opener. Tursunov stung another crucial break point in the next game and then served out of the first set at 7-5 to get one up in the contest. He further nailed
three breaks of serve in the following set to conclude victory and confirmed a spot in the second round of the tournament.
Tursunov will next face the unseeded Italian competitor, Potito Starace, in second round to battle for a spot in the quarter-final round of the St. Petersburg Open. Starace registered an authoritative victory over the local wildcard,
Ivan Nedelko, 6-0, 6-1, in the first round to book a date with Tursunov in the round of 16.
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