Fish/Roddick struggle past Kubot/Stepanek in the first round of doubles – Swiss Indoors Basel 2011
Rated at number 34 in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Team Rankings, the American duo of Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick went through some real rough times before taking down the unseeded pair of Lukasz Kubot of
Poland and Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic in the opening round of the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel on Monday evening.
The Americans strained extremely hard to wrap up victory in three sets, 6-3, 6-7(5), 11-9, advancing to the quarter-final rounds of the ATP World Tour 500 event. It was their only fifth victory as a doubles team in the current
season, with one loss already to their name. Fish and Roddick have two doubles title under their belt as a duo and their impactful start in the Swiss Indoors Basel depicts that the Americans desire to end their title drought in the event.
The contest was played on the indoor the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, with the two duos displaying quality doubles tennis. Fish and Roddick were off to a flying start in the contest, bagging the opening set with ease
to get one up in the competition. It appeared as if the Americans were heading for a straight sets victory in the second set but Kubot and Stepanek turned the tide in the tie breaker round to make their way right back in the contest. A super tie breaker round
came into play, with both sides toiling extremely hard to stay alive in the competition. The decider was extended to a total of 20 points and a critical mini-break from the Americans sealed victory for them in the last moments of the match.
Fish and Roddick belted 61 per cent of their serve on target and clinched 35 out of 43 first serve points in the matchup to come out as the winner. They registered two out of six break points in the contest, with Kubot and Stepanek
failing to strike a single break point in the entire matchup, fritting away two vital opportunities in the second set.
Fish and Roddick will face the top seeded duo of Michael Llodra of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia in the quarter-final battle of the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel. The world number two duo of Llodra and Zimonjic blew away the
local wildcard team of Michael Lammer and Alexander Sadecky in the first round of the tournament on Monday afternoon as well.
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