Gilles Muller dismisses Steve Johnson in a three set first round match – Farmers Classic 2011
American wild card entrant Steve Johnson failed to make an impression in his opening match of the Farmers Classic, losing to Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller. The closely contested match on Tuesday lasted for an agonizing one hour and
fifty seven minutes, leaving the players drained of energy by its end. Muller is now secured in his berth in the second round of the tournament.
Muller, currently ranked at No. 71 entered the tournament with a win-loss standing of 9-4 and he scored big at Atlanta this past week. Muller surged past tennis biggies to reach the quarter finals, which he lost to American John
Isner. Prior to this he had also showed tremendous resolve in his third round match at Wimbledon against Rafael Nadal, which Nadal took home in three sets.
The American university stand out; Johnson has won the national collegiate championship for the University of Southern California (USC) thrice in the past and was apparently satisfied with his ‘narrow’ loss to Muller. "I can hang
with these guys," Johnson said. "He (Muller) was a semi-finalist last week in the ATP and I'm right there with him." Johnson aims to resume his NCAA career in autumn and help USC bag its elusive fourth straight national title.
This match was the two players’ first meeting.
Muller opened the first set but his service was cut short by the youngster Johnson with ease, limiting him to just 15 points in the game. Unchallenged, the American surged ahead into a comfortable ease and registered another break
of serve in the third game to send Muller trailing 4-0. Muller served poorly at around 50% and was able to bag only 5 points off his 10 serves and could not even once set up a breakpoint scenario against his opponent. Johnson delighted the home crowd in the
first set when he easily breezed past the seasoned Muller 2-6.
But this jubilation proved to be short lived, Muller reneged and torpedoed back into the game. He closed the second set at 6-3 by registering a brutal serve break in the sixth game, while the now struggling American could not capitalise
on even one of the three breakpoint opportunities that he afforded. Muller served spectacularly in the last set at around 71%, winning 21 points from 27 serves and successfully converted a single breakpoint in the 7th game too. Trying hard to recover,
Johnson save two set points in the ninth game but could not make considerable headway. The first set ended 6-4 in Muller’s account.
Muller’s success means that he will now move to the second round of the competition, where top seed and US’ current top player Mardy Fish awaits him. Fish had earlier received a bye to the second round. It will without doubt be
a tough match for Muller.
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