Evgeny Korolev rallies past Andis Juska to reach round two – Siberia Cup 2012 CH
Eighth seed, Evgeny Korolev from Kazakhstan, got the better of the Latvian contender, Andis Juska, in a three-set thriller at the Siberia Cup 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory against the world number 346 to secure a place in the round
of 16 at this indoor hard court tournament taking place from 19th to 25th November in Tyumen, Russia.
The seeded Kazakh showed awe-inspiring skills in this clash. He lost his path in the second set but remained focused, eventually carving out the victory in their third meeting. After recording the victory in one hour and eight minutes, Korolev not only avenged
his loss at the Helsinki Challenger earlier this month but also powered into the second round.
Korolev made quick in-roads at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event. He drew the first blood in the second game and cruised to a 3-0 lead. The Kazakh held his nerves after that and bagged remaining serves with conviction.
As a result, he carved out the opener with a 6-3 success and inched closer towards his goal.
The 27-year-old rebounded in the following set. He got the coveted break in the fourth game and leaped to a 4-1 lead. Juska held his entire serves without facing any hindrance and ultimately pulled out the equaliser with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 223rd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Korolev found his early momentum in the deciding set. He broke his rival’s opening serve and leaped to a 3-0 lead. The Kazakh held his remaining serves in high spirit and after
breaking Juska’s serve once again, he sealed the decider by winning six games to two.
Next up for Korolev is the winner of the match between Italy’s Matteo Marrai and the local challenger, Andrey Kumantsov.
The fifth seed, Illya Marchenko, also earned the fame later that day. He devastated the Belarusian contender, Sergey Betov, with a bagel to advance. The Ukrainian seed held his entire serves with self-assurance and cashed four out of nine break chances to
manipulate a 6-0, 6-3 success in 66 minutes.
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