Grega Zemlja shocks Xavier Malisse in the round one – Erste Open 2012
Eighth seeded, Xavier Malisse, received a three-setter shock at the hands of the Slovenian professional, Grega Zemlja, in the first round of the Erste Bank Open 2012. Initially, Zemlja was unable to fire and attack received a 4-6
defeat but gradually he picked pace and consolidated his 6-1, 7-6(6) triumph at the indoor hard courts of Vienna, Austria.
The Slovenian qualifier displayed a below average performance in the opener and the Belgian veteran nudged forward to attain the initial four games, stamping a 4-0 lead striaght up. Zemlja did not give his rival any resistance
but responded back in the eighth game by dissolving his contenders serve. However, his response was a little too slow and Malisse charged forward to pocket away the last two games, marking a 6-4 score line.
The Slovenian junior manifested 60 perfect initial serve accuracy, pocketing away 13 of 21 first and six and 14 second delivery point. His challenger responded back by firing four aces and a 62 percent first serve precision. He
secured 16 of 21 first and five of 13 second serve points in response.
The 26-year-old Slovenian brushed away his rival in the next set and broke his initial serve without facing any difficulty. He proved his superior run of form by securing the initial three games and stamping a 3-love lead early
in the set. He smoothly preserved his entire serves, cashing away all the break chance and pulled out of the set with a bread stick.
In the final set, the players battled against one another and the score line evened out after every alternate game. This time around, the participants provided each other with equal competition, with Zemlja desperately searching
for a break chance. He plucked his serves with poise, clicking the decider with a remarkable 7-6(6) win after a tough tiebreaker round.
The 32-year-old Belgian professional secured the lead by attacking his rival with powerful four aces and a 66 percent initial serve. He attained 18 of 29 first and seven of 15 second delivery points. The right-hander Slovenian,
Zemlja, presented 53 percent initial serve accuracy with 15 of 25 points.
Tags: