Frederico Gil stuns Mikhail Youzhny in the opening round – Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 2012
World number 132, Frederico Gil of Portugal, showed brilliant display of tennis to upset 35th ranked, Mikhail Youzhny, in straight sets in the first round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monaco on Tuesday. The Portuguese
dropped just four games in the entire match, winning it 6-1, 6-3 in just an hour and four minutes.
Gil did not receive a direct entry due to his low ranking and had to come through the qualifying stage of the event. The Portuguese, who was seeded eight in that draw, surprised top seed, Steve Darcis of Belgium, in three sets
6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) in the final qualifier.
In this match, Gil and Youzhny held their serve in the first two games of the opening set to square off the score at 1-1. The Portuguese was flawless after that, as he made triple breakthrough and captured five games in a row to
close it 6-1.
Gil neither hit an ace nor committed any double fault in the opener. The Portuguese fired 67 percent of the first serves, winning amazingly nine of the 10 points on them. The right-hander did not give his opponent any chance to
break and availed three of the four of his own.
Youzhny and Gil did not lose their serve in the first five game of the second set, taking the score to 3-2 in the latter’s favour. The Portuguese hit a blow in the sixth and consolidated on it to attain a 5-2 lead. He did not let
away the advantage, serving it out at 5-3.
Gil smacked one ace and 70 percent of the first deliveries, snatching 15 of the 21 points on them. The 27-year-old also performed extraordinarily on the second serves, as he converted seven of the nine of them into points.
With this win, Gil has an 8-8 win/loss record in 2012. He started the season at the Aircel Chennai Open, where he lost a three set thriller 2-6, 7-6(4), 5-7 against Go Soeda in the opening match. The Portuguese gave his best performance
at the Australian Open, as he stunned the then world number 57, Ivan Dodig; and 25th ranked, Marcel Granollers, in the first and second round respectively. He also reached quarter-finals at the VTR Open, after beating Paolo Lorenzi and Pablo Andujar
on his way to the last eight.
In this tournament, the Portuguese will lock horns with ninth seed, Gilles Simon, in the second round.
Tags: