Grega Zemlja beats Sergei Bubka to cruise into the second round - Qatar Open 2012
Slovenian’s Grega Zemlja did not break a sweat while defeating Ukraine’s Sergei Bubka, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, in the men’s singles first round competition at the 2012 Qatar Open. The match was held in Doha this Tuesday, when Bubka crumbled
after pocketing the first set and Zemlja cruised in the remaining rounds with a superb victory.
Zemlja, ranked at number 116 in the world, had to work hard in the first set but his efforts went in vain as Bubka won the first set 6-4. This was the only breakthrough he had in the contest, as Zemlja came back strong in the next
two sets. The 25-year-old Slovenian had some real tough time from his opponent, who secured most of the points with his service games, in the first set. Zemlja was unable to gain any edge with his serves and remained at the lower end. World number 148, Bubka,
reflected aggression with his forehand and was able to break Zemlja’s service on two occasions. The Ukrainian conceded three double faults which reduced his pace in the opening set but his consistency kept him in the lead.
Bubka aimed at taking his winning run into the second set but his momentum was halted by Zemlja. The Slovenian won 12 out of 14 points from his first serve while Bubka could only win eight out of 15 points. This created a gap between
the two players as Zemlja further extended the lead by saving all four of his breakpoints but managed to break two of Bubka’s serves. Zemlja made an impressive recovery when he won the second set 6-1.
The Slovenian was looking to seal the match with a win in the third set but again Zemlja was exceptional with his service games. He did not concede any breakpoint and kept on with his dominating run with the racquet. Bubka was
eyeing a win in the third set to win the match but the Slovenian retained the pressure he applied on his opponent in the second set.
Zemlja, who played the first round of the 2010 and 2011 Australian Open and the second round of the 2011 Wimbledon, won the third set 6-1 and cruised into the second round of the tournament. Both players met for the first time
and the way Zemlja crushed Bubka, he might not want to face him in the future. Zemlja will now have a mounting challenge in front as he will face second seeded, world number 3, Roger Federer in the second round of the tournament.
Tags: