Grega Zemlja rallies past Jan Hernych in qualifiers – China Open 2012
Seeded fourth in the qualifying competition, Grega Zemlja from Slovenia triumph over the Czech contender, Jan Hernych, in a three-set thriller at the China Open 2012 on Friday. He summed up a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory against the 33-year-old to secure a spot in the final qualifying round at this outdoor hard court event held in Beijing, China.
The Slovenian seed lost his path in the second set at the National Tennis Center. However, he remained focused and eventually carved out the victory in two hours and 24 minutes. After recording the success, Zemlja not only avenged his loss at the Eckental Challenger last season but also advanced into the final round of the qualifying competition.
Zemlja made a powerful entry at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 Series Event. He drew the first blood in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. The Slovenian then held his composure and bagged his remaining serves. He dusted away both breakpoints he faced and cashed in one out of four break chances to pull out the opener with a 6-4 score line.
The world number 165 re-focused his strategy in the proceeding set. He got the coveted break in the fourth game and leaped to a 4-1 lead. Hernych swiped his remaining serves with poise and clicked the equaliser with a 6-3 win. He blocked the lone breakpoint he encountered and capitalised on one out of two break opportunities to get back in game.
Ranked 73rd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Zemlja re-gained his strength in the final set which counted the most. He took the initial lead after breaking the Czech’s opening serve. Regardless of losing the following three games, the Slovene stayed focused and levelled the scores in the sixth game. The set subsequently went to a tie-breaker where the seed dominated, ultimately sealing the decider with a 7-6(5) win.
Zemlja will face off fifth seeded Alex Bogomolov Jr. who crushed the local wild card entrant, Chuhan Wang, with a bagel to set up this match. The Russian contender was broken once but availed five out of seven break chances to earn the fame.
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