El Mihdawy defeats Harel Srugo to reach the final qualifying round – L, G & T Tennis Challenger 2011
Number one seed Adam El Mihdawy of United States defeated Israeli tennis pro Harel Srugo 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to make it to the final round of 2011 Levene, Gouldin and Thompson Tennis Challenger qualifying draw here in Binghamton, New York.
Looking for a place in the main draw of the Challengers tournament, the American made a strong start to the match. Breaking his opponent early, he raced to 3-1 lead within first 15 minutes. Srugo also raised the level of his game and he broke straight back to stay in the set and even the game score at 3-3.
Mihdawy continued to concentrate hard on his game as he converted his second break chance of the set to take a crucial 5-4 lead, serving to take the set score lead 1-0. Firing a blistering serve ace, he made two set points available to him and then converted the first on to cinch the opener.
The second set also followed a pretty similar pattern with both players struggling to break the serve. Mihdawy continued to play aggressively and created certain break opportunities. Showing great defensive skills, Srugo saved several break points against him to stay in the match. However with the game score tied at 4-4, the Israeli suffered first serve break of the set to let his opponent have a vital 5-4 lead.
Mihdawy held on to his next serve game with ease to close out the match in straight sets after only 1 hour and 24 minute of play. The 22-year-old executed his game plan to perfection as he dashed his gorgeous forehand and backhand winners both down the line and cross court. Hitting an impressive 62 per cent first serve, he managed to take control of the points on his serve right from the start. Having formidable defensive abilities, he did not give too many chances to hi rival to break the serve.
The American played confidently and converted three out of five break chances in the match, which of course played a big part in his victory. Claiming nearly 41 per cent of the points on Srugo’s serve, Mihdawy made most of the opportunities that were presented to him in the match.
In the final round he will be facing Milan Pokrajac in the final round. Pokrajac defeated American Michael McClune 6-3, 3-2 to reach that far.
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