Gerard Granollers-Pujol defeats Ervin Eleskovic in the second round qualifiers of the Serbia Open
22-year-old Spaniard Gerard Granollers-Pujol beat his Swede opponent, Ervin Eleskovic in the second round of the qualifying draws of the Serbia Open, being played at the Tennis Center Novak complex in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday.
He took one hour and twenty four minutes to overcome Eleskovic in a comprehensive straight sets victory at 6-4, 6-4, to move into the final round qualifiers of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event.
The Spanish competitor had to face some resistance in overcoming Eleskovic but outsmarted him in most segments of the game. Although his serve game lacked something to be desired, his overall brilliant performance made up for his
minor mistakes in the game. Pujol delivered his first serve with 62 per cent precision, so did Eleskovic, but conceded four double faults in contrast to two from the Swede opponent.
The two competitors had an aggressive start to the competition, exchanging forceful winners early in the game and trying to exert pressure upon their opponent. They both clinched almost 80 per cent of their first serve points and
were equally good with their return games. Pujol proved his superiority over the Swede in terms of pinching crucial points in the match on regular basis.
Eleskovic failed to craft any break opportunity in the first set but kept winning his serve in the opening eight games. He successfully saved two break points from Pujol but finally had to submit his serve to the Spaniard in the
ninth game. Pujol took the advantage of some errant stroke play from Eleskovic and struck the first serve break of the match in the ninth game to lead 5-4, serving for the set. The Spaniard served out of the opener at 6-4 to get one up in the contest.
Pujol’s game took a slight down turn in the following set, with his first serve accuracy dropping to a mere 55 per cent. The Spaniard also conceded three double faults as well in the second set, allowing his opponent to register
his first serve break of the matchup. Despite of some careless game play, Pujol kept his grip firm on the contest and stung two break points to outplay Eleskovic at 6-4.
The Spaniard moves onto the final round qualifiers of the Serbia Open and will need just one more victory to enter the main draw of the tournament. Up next for Pujol is the Austrian, Alexander Peya, who upset the eighth seed Serb,
Nikola Ciric an enthralling three-set victory, 6-0, 5-7, 7-6(1), in the second round of the qualifying draws.
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