Fyrstenberg/Matkowski down Benneteau/Gasquet in opening round – Swiss Indoors 2012
Fourth seeded Poles, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, got the Better of the French duo, Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet, in a three-set thriller at the Swiss Indoors 2012 on Tuesday. They nudged up a 6-7(5), 6-4, 12-10 victory against the Olympic
bronze medallists, Benneteau and Gasquet, to progress into the quarter-finals at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 Series events held in Basel, Switzerland.
The Polish Power made an epic comeback from a set down to outsmart Benneteau and Gasquet in their first encounter. After recording the victory in one hour and 34 minutes, Fyrstenberg and Matkowski edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against
the French tandem and progressed into the final eight at this indoor hard court event.
The Olympic bronze medallists assertively entered the St. Jakobshalle. They blocked the only breakpoint they came across to keep his entire serves with conviction. Benneteau and Gasquet squandered the lone break opportunity but prevailed in the tie-breaker,
eventually sealing the opener with a 7-6(5) win.
Fyrstenberg and Matkowski made a fitting reply in the following set. The Poles swiftly swiped their entire serves and after getting the breakthrough in the seventh game, they clicked the equaliser with a 6-4 win. They were never challenged with any breakpoint
and converted one out of two break chances to their advantage.
Ranked eighth in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Doubles Rankings, Fyrstenberg and Matkowski maintained consistency in their game in the final set. They prevailed throughout the super tie-breaker and eventually clinched the decider with a 12-10
score line.
Summing up the seeds’ performances, Fyrstenberg and Matkowski smashed seven aces and ended the battle with 77 points. They spilled more double faults and clobbered a lower first serve share of 64 per cent as compared to their rivals’ 75 per cent. However,
the Poles impressively marked 41 out of 48 points on it. The found three break chances and comfortably kept their entire serves through brilliant defensive skills.
Next up for the Poles are the conqueror of the match between the British-Denmark pair, Jonathan Marray and Frederick Nelson, and the American-Australian duo of Eric Butorac and Paul Hanley.
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