Fabio Fognini/Pere Riba, Paul Hanley/Bruno Soares reach second round of Grand Prix Hassan II
Fabio Fognini/Pere Riba defeat Reda Al Amrani/Anas Fattar 6-1, 6-3
Italian/Spanish pair of Fabio Fognini and Pere Riba cruised past wild card entrants Reda El Amrani and Anas Fattar of Morocco in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the opening round of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca on Wednesday.
Fognini and Riba broke their opponents in the fourth and sixth game of the opening set to win it 6-1. Both pairs had a low first serve percentage in the opening set. The Italian/Spanish pair hit a single ace and 44 per cent of the first serves. While, El
Amrani and Fattar delivered a single ace and 40 per cent of the first serves in the first set. The Moroccan pair failed to save both break points it faced in the first set.
The proceedings in the second set were not much different from the opening set as Fognini and Riba broke their opponents twice, winning the set 6-3.
They delivered a couple of aces and a single double fault in the second set. The Italian/Spanish pair hit 65 per cent of the first serves, winning incredibly 92 per cent of the points on them. Fognini and Riba did not face a single break point in the second
set. The Italian/Spanish pair capitalized on both break point opportunities it faced in the second set.
Fognini and Riba will face Kazakh/Italian pair of Mikhail Kukushkin and Filippo Volandri in the second round. Kukushkin and Volandri defeated fourth seed Daniele Bracciali and Potito Starace of Italy 2-6, 6-1, 10-7 in the first round.
Paul Hanley/Bruno Soares beat Leos Friedl/Rogier Wassen 6-4, 6-4
Australian/Brazilian pair of Paul Hanley and Bruno Soares prevailed over Czech/Dutch pair of Leos Friedl and Rogier Wassen in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to move to the second round of men’s doubles event. Hanley and Soares took one hour and 22 minutes to oust
their opponents.
The Australian/Brazilian pair needed a single break of serve in the first set, winning it 6-4. Hanley and Soares fired three aces and 64 per cent of the first serves in the opening set. They converted 62 per cent of the first serves into points in the first
set. In comparison, Friedl and Wassen hit 64 per cent of the first serves, converting 72 per cent of them into points in the opening set.
In the second set, Hanley and Soares broke their opponents in the ninth game, winning the set 6-4. Friedl and Wassen did not hit any ace and committed four double faults in the second set.
Hanley and Soares will meet British/Slovakian pair of Colin Fleming and Igor Zelenay in the second round.
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