Erlich/Ram outclass Cabal/Falla to reach semis – Winston-Salem Open 2012
Israeli wild card entrants, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, tumbled the Colombian duo, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Alejandro Falla, in straight sets at the Winston-Salem Open 2012 on Wednesday. They recorded a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the Colombians to cruise into the semi-finals at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in North Carolina, United States.
The Israeli junction stayed on track to defend their title after stomping over Cabal and Falla in their first duel against each other. After pulling out the victory in one hour and nine minutes, Erlich and Ram comfortably advanced into the final four at this outdoor hard court event and inched closer towards their second year-to-date title.
The in-form Israeli tandem made a drastic entry at the Wake Forest University. They suffered the first blow in the third game and went 1-2 down. However, Erlich and Ram quickly recovered in the very next game and got back in contention. They held their remaining serves with poise and got the breakthrough in the eighth game, eventually sealing the opener with a 6-3 success.
Ranked 16th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Erlich and Ram maintained consistency in their game in the following set. They got the critical break in the seventh game and took a 4-3 lead. Regardless of losing their edge in the very next game, the Israeli collaboration remained calm and held their remaining serves with self-assurance. They capitalised on another break chance in the 11th game and subsequently clicked the set with a 7-5 score line.
On the whole, the Israelis formulated a better first serve share of 65 per cent in contrast with their rivals’ 62 per cent and impressively registered 26 out of 39 points on it. They dusted away three out of five breakpoints they came across and converted four out of six break chances to their advantage. Erlich and Ram also hammered two aces and committed equal number of double faults.
Next up for the Israelis is the winner of the match between top seeds, India’s Rohan Bopanna and Poland’s Mariusz Fyrstenberg, and the Spanish-Argentinean team, Pablo Andujar and Leonardo Mayer.
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