Dustin Brown, Laurynas Grigelis cruise ahead with first round wins – Eckental Challenger 2011
In the first round men’s singles match of the 2011 Eckental Challenger, played on October 31, 2011 in Eckental, Germany, Marius Copil (Romania) took on Dustin Brown (Germany) with the latter winning the match in straight sets,
6-4, 6-4.
Ranked at 146th in the world, Brown was dominant from the first set as he won it 6-4. The 26-year old Brown served five aces with double faults twice in the first set. Although the German had a lower first serve success
ratio in the first set, it was mainly because he was playing with precision against his Romanian opponent.
Copil, ranked 215th in the world, scored one ace in the first set with four double faults. Being an inexperienced player as compared to the German, the match remained in Brown’s court in both the sets.
In the second set, both players delivered six aces each, an indication that they both wanted to lead into the second set. Surprisingly, 21-year old Copil did not concede any double fault but he was also unable to narrow down the
lead in the second set, which Brown won 6-4.
With a straight set win, Brown now heads into the next round of the tournament with a boost in his morale, as he would look forward to take a title win on home soil.
Another player who took a straight set win on October 31, 2011 in the first round men’s single competition was Laurynas Grigelis (Lithuania). He defeated Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (Germany) 6-4, 6-4.
The spectators in attendance were eager to see another German winning the first round match but the 20-year old Lithuanian defeated the German 6-4, 6-4. Grigelis, ranked 206th in the world, was consistent throughout
the match as he delivered six aces and saved all five of his breakpoints.
Ranked at 99th place in the world, Stebe, on the other hand, also served six aces but he could only save one of his three breakpoints. Grigelis had a flying start in the first set as he punched five aces with a single
double fault and saved both of his two breakpoints.
Stebe was not showing as much power as his opponent, as he scored only one ace in the second set and could not save the only breakpoint he faced. In the second set, Stebe did show muscle as he scored five aces and conceded a single
double fault.
His Lithuanian opponent, on the other hand, could serve only one ace and had four double faults. However, Grigelis won the match saving all of his breakpoints and maintaining a steady lead in both the sets.
Tags: