Florent Serra outlasts Robert Farah in the final qualifier – Citi Open 2012
France’s world number 132, Florent Serra, booked his place in the main draw, after beating the 201st ranked player, Robert Farah of Colombia, in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the final qualifier of Citi Open in Washinton.
The Frenchman took two hours and seven minutes to win the match.
Serra and Farah did not allow each other to break serve in the first nine games, taking the score to 5-4 in favour of the Frenchman. Farah failed to hold, when he served to stay in the set at that moment and went down 4-6.
The French player fired one ace and did not make any double fault, putting in 63 percent of the first serves. The 31-year-old had an impressive conversion rate, winning 12 of the 17 first and eight of the 10 second delivery points.
Serra did not come across any break threat and utilised one of the seven opportunities he created in the opener.
In the second set, Serra and Farah started by holding their opening serve to level the score at 1-1. The Colombian hit a blow to Serra in the third and consolidated on it to go up 3-1. Farah maintained his advantage till the end,
serving it out at 5-4.
The Colombian made his opponent’s life difficult with help of huge first serves, bombarding six aces and capturing 15 of the 17 points. The 6ft 3in tall also gave a decent performance on the second ones, as he did not commit any
double fault and won six of the nine points. The 25-year-old could not respond well to Serra’s first deliveries, losing 14 of the 19 but compensated a bit by claiming five of the nine second return points.
Farah and Serra held their serve in the opening three games of the decider, taking the score to 3-2 in the latter’s favour. The French contestant clinched a breakthrough in the sixth and held his next serve to gain a 5-2 lead.
Serra did not allow his Colombian rival to stage a comeback, sealing it 6-3.
The Frenchman banged in four aces but also made a couple of double faults this time. The Bordeaux, France born kept his first serve percentage at 59, grabbing 19 of the 24 points on them. The fourth seed captured four of the 10
points on the second replies. Serra amazingly saved all the five break points he faced and converted one of the two he received in the final set.
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