Guido Pella edges past Thomaz Bellucci in the first round robin match – Challenger Tour Finals 2012
World number 124, Guido Pella of Argentina, made a major upset on the very first day of the event, as he stunned the top seed and title favourite, Thomaz Bellucci, in his first Round Robin clash at the Challenger Tour Finals in
Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Pella went down in the first set but overcame the world number 33 in the following two, capturing the contest 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in two hours and 53 minutes.
The Argentinean player and his Brazilian rival made a stable start, as they held their serve in the first six games to level the proceedings at 3-3. Bellucci stung a break in the seventh and made the most of that strike to clinch
the first set 6-4.
The home favourite banged in a couple of aces and committed one double fault, putting in 56 percent of the first serves. The 24-year-old had an above average conversion rate, claiming 13 of the 18 first and 11 of the 14 second
delivery points. The Sao Paulo, Brazil resident saved the only break threat he came across and availed one of the five chances he got in the opener.
Bellucci struck in the opening game of the second set but he could not consolidate on it, being unable to hold his following serve and squaring off the score at 1-1. Rest of the set did not see any of the two players making a breakthrough,
taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Pella won the opening two points to start with a 2-0 lead and maintained it till the end to triumph 7-6(5).
Both players were erratic on the second serves, as each of them made four double faults. Pella, however had a better first delivery percentage and conversion rate, keeping it at 60 and winning 18 of the 24 points on them.
Pella and Bellucci exchanged a single break of serve in the first 10 games of the decider, levelling the score at 5-5. The Argentinean contender hit a blow to the Brazilian star in the 11th and capitalised on that advantage
to win 7-5.
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