Gilles Muller receives a three-set from Igor Kunitsyn – Brisbane International 2013
World number 67, Gilles Muller, bagged home a shocker at the hands of the Russian professional, Igor Kunitsyn, in the initial qualifying round of the Brisbane International. The Russian professional penned down his win, 6-1, 4-6,
7-6(4) in nearly two hours at the hard courts of Australia.
Left-hander Muller manifested the sloppiest start in the opening set and was unable to put forth a decent show. He cashed on his challenger’s initial serve in the second game. Kunitsyn’s pace was unstoppable and he journeyed with
high paced momentum, snatching away the initial five games without any delay. Towards the end, Muller simply secured a single game and his rival terminated the set with a bread stick.
The 31-year-old Russian secured 60 percent initial serve precision with nine of 14 points. On the other hand, his opponent attained 65 percent first serve accuracy with eight of 13 first and lost the lead as he converted one of
seven second serve points.
In the second set, the Luxembourgian professional started to gain speed and he confidently fired across powerful hits to secure his lead. The two challengers held their serves for a major portion of time in the set and the win
between the two sides continuously oscillated. However, Muller took a flying start and snatched the equalizer with a 6-4 score line in the end.
The victory continuously oscillated between the two extreme ends as both the contenders desperately wanted to secure the decisive set. The score line squared down after every alternate game as both the player put forth a strong
defence against one another. The duo waged a tough battle against the other and after a close set tie-breaker, the more experienced Russian veteran concluded the match with a 7-6(4) score line.
The 29-year-old, Muller, fired 14 aces with three double faults at the critical points in the match. He capitalized 65 percent initial serve precision with 22 of 25 first and seven of 13 second serve points. On the other hand,
Kunitsyn attained 45 percent initial serve accuracy with 15 of 17 points.
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