Filippo Volandri defeats Thiemo De Bakker in the first round of Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Italian tennis ace Filippo Volandri defeated Dutch Thiemo De Bakker in the first round of the tournament to keep alive his hopes of making it out of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia finals. He defeated the Dutch pro with a 6-1,
6-2 score line to enter the second round of the tournament.
The tournament is a part of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Series and is being played at the Foro Italico in Rome. The tournament includes both men and women draws and will run from 9thMay until 15th May.
The second set of the match was comparatively more difficult than the first one, although both were easy wins for Volandri. Even though De Bakker registered the only ace in the set, he also double faulted once and failed to convert
five of the nine breakpoints to win the first set. He looked jaded throughout the match and didn’t show any resistance which could restrict the Italian from winning the match. The Italian pro on the other hand looked very calm and had no difficulty scoring
the win under an hour.
The twenty nine year old Italian showed his brilliance and command over his racquet in an expert manner and made his Dutch opponent suffer. In the first set, the Italian dominated the tennis court and outshined his opponent in
almost every department of the game. He didn’t face any break point opportunity in the first set though it didn’t hinder his confidence and determination. He remained positive throughout the set and managed to break De Bakker’s serve in the very first game
to grab the early advantage. He fired in 78 percent of the first serves and managed to score 72 percent behind his first serves and 60 percent of points behind his second serves.
The disappointing defeat in the first set brought worry to the Dutch pro and he couldn’t keep the balance and lost the second set with a 6-2 score line. He scored 50 percent of points on his service, 31 percent of the points on
return and 39 percent of the points in total. Volandri on the other hand, played exceptionally well and scored 62 percent behind his first serves and 100 percent behind his second serves. Furthermore, he clinched 100 percent of the breakpoint opportunities
to take the final set 6-2. Volandri’s persistence paid off and he managed to clinch the match in straight set. He will next face either compatriot Fabio Fognini or Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the tournament.
Sixteenth seeded French tennis ace, Richard Gasquet, also moved into the next round after he defeated Spaniard Albert Montanes in a two setter clash. The German Philipp Kohlschreiber also did well who outclassed the thirteenth
seeded Russian, Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets to reach the second round of the tournament.
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