Filippo Volandri outlasts Alessandro Giannessi in round one – AON Open 2012 CH
In an all-Italian clash, fourth seeded Filippo Volandri battled past his compatriot, Alessandro Giannessi, in a three-set mouth-watering battle at the AON Open 2012 on Wednesday. He juggled up a 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 victory against the world number 162 to power
into the second round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event held in Genoa, Italy.
Volandri showed tremendous skills and abilities to outsmart his fellow citizen in two hours and 34 minutes. After earning this glory, the Italian veteran trashed Giannessi for the third straight time this circuit. He previously recorded a three setter victory
against the 22-year-old at Bet-at-home Cup in Kitzbuhel.
The 31-year-old comfortably entered this outdoor clay court event. Volandri lost his serve once but capitalised on one out of five break opportunities to prolong the set to a tie-breaker. He edged past his countryman in it and clinched the opener with a
7-6(6) score line.
The left-handed Italian on the other side rebounded in the following set. He broke Volandri’s serve twice to leap to a 5-2 lead. Regardless of squandering a chance of serving out the set, Giannessi plucked his serve once again to close out the equaliser
with a 6-4 win.
Ranked 72nd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Volandri re-gained his early ascendancy in the final set. He got the desiderated break in the second game and jumped to a 3-0 lead before his opponent could hold on. Despite losing
his edge in the fifth game, the higher ranked Italian cashed in another break chance in the very next game and then held his proceeding serves. He amazingly dusted away three out of four breakpoints he came across and capitalised on two out of five break
opportunities to seal the decider by winning six games to three.
Up next for Volandri is the German qualifier, Andre Begemann, who bounced back to triumph over Chile’s Paul Capdeville in a three-set thriller to set up this battle.
The top seed, Andreas Seppi, will join Volandri in the following round. He hit back to trounce the Argentinean qualifier, Renzo Olivo, in almost two hours. The local wild card recipient was broken four times but cashed in five out of 12 break chances to
formulate a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 score line. He also struck six aces and produced a better first serve share of 57 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 49 per cent.
Next in line for Seppi is Argentina’s Facundo Arguello who dumped the Austrian challenger, Michael Linzer, in straight sets to advance.
Tags: