Edouard Roger-Vasselin takes down Jesse Levine to reach the quarters – Challenger of Granby 2011 CH
Seeded players reigned high in the second round of the National Bank’s Challenger of Granby, with the sixth seeded Frenchman, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, defeating Jesse Levine of the United States on Wednesday.
The competition was staged on the hard courts of Granby, Canada, with Roger-Vasselin winning in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-3, after a stiff contest with the American. Levine hung in the matchup for one hour and thirty one minute before
submitting in the second set to let the Frenchman a place in the quarter-finals of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event.
The contest appeared evenly posed in the action-packed opening set but the American gradually lost his way through the second set to bestow a comprehensive straight sets victory to his opponent. Only one serve break was seen in
the entire matchup, which came from the racquet of the sixth seed in the second set and Levine utterly failed to register a singles serve break in the game.
Roger-Vasselin adopted aggressive approach in the matchup from the very first minute, delivering 74 per cent of serve on target, along with five thudding aces and three double faults. The American opponent stood up to the task
very well and kept winning points on regularity to keep the scoreboard ticking on even terms. Levine bagged 26, while Roger-Vasselin followed him with 23 first serve points in the opening set.
Levine denied the French off three break opportunities, as both men failed to register a serve break in the opener and dragged the scores to 6-6 to impose a tie breaker round. The American suddenly lost all his steam in the decider,
perhaps caught under the intense pressure situation and let Roger-Vasselin fly away with two successive mini-breaks. The sixth seeded French sealed the opening set at 7-6(2) to get the upper hand in the competition.
The unseeded American utterly failed to replicate the performance he exhibited in the opener and went through a drastic slump to allow Roger-Vasselin take hold of the game early. The French secured 15 out of 20 first serve points
in the second set and eventually registered the first serve break of the day to race away to victory at 6-3.
Roger-Vasselin’s win over Levine granted him a place in the quarter-finals of the Nation al Bank’s Challenger of Granby, where he will take on the top seed Israeli, Dudi Sela, for a place among the last four of the tournament.
Sela earlier won his second round matchup against Rajeev Ram of the United States, 6-4, 6-2.
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