Florian Mayer shakes off Fabio Fognini in opening round – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2011
Florian Mayer, German world No.23, kicked off the first round of the Shanghai Masters 2011 outplaying the Italian world No.39, Fabio Fognini, with much ease winning bagel, 6-2.
Playing at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai, China Mayer ended the first round run in just 48 minutes to walk off the blue hard court and into the second round of the ATP World Tour 1000 Masters.
Despite the disparity in ranking, there was a lot more advantaging the world No.23. Winning 8 of his last 10 fixture, including the Bucharest win, Mayer had a perfect forming to play the Masters tour. On the contrary, the 24-year-old
Italian has yet to prove worthy of his position.
Anyhow, walking down the court, the two received a massive applaud as they took off with the biggest Asian tour this year. With the two warming up, Fognini won the toss and stood to open the first set. Hoping to get a positive
start against the German world No.23, the Italian got hampered with back-to-back breakpoints.
Breaking early, Mayer took the lead serving out his opening serve and bagged the first two games. As the set fuelled up the 28-year-old German once again broke and served the next two games to lead the set winning straight 4 games
t0 zero. Unable to counter the higher ranked challenger the Italian again fell short.
The set ended as Mayer outgunned the world No.39 with two more consecutive wins, break-n-serve, pocketing the first set with a bagel win. With the first set in his drawer, Mayer moved on to the second set returning again to the
24-year-old Italian.
Serving out the first game of set 2, Fognini finally won his first game of the match switching the serve to his German counterpart. Mayer instantly levelled up with a triple game point win and flared up breaking the world No.39
for the fourth time in the match, 2-1.
Extending his lead to 3-1, the 28-year-old lost his second game of the match when Fognini served out game 5 of set 2. However, Mayer went ballistic when he serve-break-served the next 3 games bombing the world No.39 with 4 lighting
aces shuddering him down and out of the Shanghai Masters bagel, 6-2.
Mayer, who is holding back to his best form this season, now qualifies into the 2nd round of the ATP Masters Tour event, and will play the winner of the match between David Nalbandian and Ernest Gulbis to battle it out
for the 3rd round seat.
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