Gilles Muller jolts Go Soeda to enter title-round – BB&T Atlanta Open 2012
Luxembourgian star, Gilles Muller, stunned the eighth seed, Go Soeda, in straight sets at the BB&T Atlanta Open 2012 on Saturday. He joggled up a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Japanese star to secure a spot in the final showdown at the Atlantic Station in Johns Creek, United States.
Muller displayed exceptional tennis skills to upset the Japanese seed in their first encounter. After pulling out the victory in one hour and 12 minutes, the Luxembourgian edged in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against Soeda but also secured a spot in the final round at this outdoor hard court tournament.
The 29-year-old enthusiastically entered this ATP World Tour 250 series event and held his opening serve with poise. He continued hitting powerful forehands and plucked his entire serves without encountering any hindrance. Muller got the breakthrough in the last game after capitalising on one out of four break chances and clicked the opener with a 6-4 win.
Currently ranked 56th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Muller kept momentum rolling in the following set. He cashed in the lone break opportunity in the fourth game and jumped to a 4-1 lead. The Luxembourgian swiped his remaining serves and sealed the set by winning six games to three.
All in all, the Luxembourgian veteran dominated throughout the match. He mashed 17 vicious aces and clobbered a better first serve share of 74 per cent as compared to his rival’s 55 per cent. He also impressively availed 33 out of 35 points on it and sought five break opportunities. Muller then capped the match with 63 points and took full advantage of the many double faults his opponent spilled.
The left-handed Luxembourgian displayed top notch performance throughout the tournament. He recorded a retirement victory against second seeded Mardy Fish and trashed Australia’s Matthew Ebden in straight sets to set up this clash.
Next in queue for Muller is the former world number one, Andy Roddick, who upset his top seeded compatriot John Isner in three sets to set up this meeting.
The world number 22, Roddick, resisted 26 aces fired by his fellow citizen and capitalised on two out of seven break chances to formulate a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 score line. He spilled more errors but blocked both breakpoints he encountered to keep his entire serves. The veteran also impressively marked 53 out of 60 points on his first serve share and prevailed throughout the match.
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