Federico Delbonis dumps Alessio Di Mauro in the qualifiers – Grand Prix Hassan II 2012
Qualifying fifth seed, Federico Delbonis, devastated the Italian contender, Alessio Di Mauro, with a breadstick at the Grand Prix Hassan II 2012 on Sunday. He joggled up a 6-1, 6-2 victory against the world number 363 to reach in the final round of the qualifying competition at this clay court event held in Casablanca, Morocco.
Delbonis got the better of the left-handed Italian in one hour and 16 minutes at the Complexe Al Amal. The players previously faced each other at the Rimini Challenger and after earning this success, the Argentinean maintained his winning record against Di Mauro.
The 21-year-old assertively entered this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event and held his serve in the opening game with conviction. After the Italian held his serve in the second game, Delbonis blasted powerful forehands to wind up the following five games in a row, consequently bagging a breadstick.
Ranked 147th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Delbonis carried his rhythm in the following set and after earning the critical break in the opening game, he leaped to a 2-0 lead. Di Mauro came on the score sheet in the third game but ran out of steam after that. The Argentinean on the other hand took full advantage of the situation and stroke out the following three games, ultimately jumping to a 5-1 lead. Later, he held his serve once more and sealed the set by winning six games to two.
Delbonis will next face the French contestant, Nicolas Devilder, who rallied past Netherlands’ Matwe Middelkoop in a three set thriller to set-up this meeting.
Lamine Ouahab from Algeria will accompany the Argentinean in the next round. He took down the seventh seed, Florent Serra, in one and half hour to earn the limelight.
The world number 752 exchanged two serve breaks to drag the opener to the tie-breaker. He then outclassed Serra in it before pulling out the opener with a 7-6(3) win.
Ouahab lost his serve twice in the following set but capitalised on four out of 11 break chances to clinch the set with a 6-2 score line.
Tags: