Dudi Sela outclasses Jerzy Janowicz to reach the second round of the Status Athens Open
26-year-old Israeli, Dudi Sela ousted his Pole opponent, Jerzy Janowicz in the opening round of the Status Athens Open, played at Athens, Greece on Monday. The third seed needed just 90 minutes to dispense Janowicz 6-4, 6-3, out
from the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event.
The third seed Israeli exhibited dominance on the hard courts and cruised through the contest with ease. Janowicz bettered his opponent in some aspects of the game but his inability to bag points on crucial moments led him down.
A total of 135 points were played in the game, with Sela winning 76 and his opponent taking 59 out of them.
Janowicz’s first serve precision reached an impressive figure of 71 per cent, firing five aces to Sela’s court. However, he slopped six double faults to fritter away his serve advantage. Sela’s ordinary first serve of 54 per cent
earned him 23 out of 27 points to edge over his opponent.
The Israeli breached Janowicz’s bleak defences several times, belting forceful winners down the line to pressurize his opponent. Sela was off to a flyer in the opener, breaking his rival’s serve early to get a 4-2 lead. His 50
per cent accurate first serve earned him 14 of 16 points, while Janowicz was equally good by winning 82 per cent of his first serve points. However, the Pole was not able to recover from the deficit he suffered from the early serve break.
Janowicz hung in the first set for a while but crumbled under the intense pressure exerted by the Israeli. He cracked five aces in the set but his game proved way too bleak to contain his strong competitor. Sela held his serve
in all games to reach the set point in the tenth game and closed the opener at 6-4, as Janowicz thumped a back hand into the net.
The 20-year-old Pole slumped further in the next set, spilling out five costly double faults. Sela crafted 10 opportunities to break the dreary serve of Janowicz but converted just two chances to get the competitive advantage in
the game. The third seed collected 16 of 18 total serve points in the second set and raced past to the match point at 5-3. A fiery forehand winner marked an end to Janowicz’s voyage at the Status Athens Open, sending Sela into the second round of the tournament.
Marius Copil of Romania will play Sela in the second round of the Challenger Tour event . Copil stood victorious against the Greek wildcard, Alexandros Jakupovic in a stiff three-set contest 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-5, in the opening
round at Athens.
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