Guido Pella shocks Victor Hanescu in the semi-finals – ATP Challenger Tour Finals CH
Ranked 64th in the South African Airways ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Rankings, Victor Hanescu, received a straight-set shocker at the hands of the Argentinean challenger, Guido Pella in the semi-finals
of the ATP Challenger Tour Finals held the indoor hard courts of Brazil. Pella consolidated his triumph 7-6(3), 6-2 on the eve of Friday within one hour and 35 minutes.
The 22-year-old Argentinean had a sloppy start in the opener, as he was unable to hold his initial serve. The higher ranked, Hanescu, grabbed the opportunity and marked his lead in the second game to draw the first blood. Despite
of his loss, the Argentinean contestant jumped forward and started to get hold of the momentum. He cashed on his opponent’s serve in the 10th game and squared down the score line to 5-all. The two players battled hard to grip the front line, dragging
the opening set into a tiebreaker. Both the contestants held their respective serves, manifesting an impressive run in the matchup. Eventually, Pella marked a 7-6(3) score line.
The 31-year-old, Romanian rival thundered six aces, securing a better initial serve of 81 percent, converting 30 of 45 first but lost his pace as he just bagged away two of 10 second serve points. On the other hand, Pella double
faulted three times. He also had an average first serve of 67 percent, capitalizing on 22 of 29 first and seven of 14 second serve points.
In the second set, the right-hander Romanian took the chance to serve and easily nudged up a 1-0 score. The world number 124, Pella, took a remarkable start and mounted the scoreboard with a 2-1 lead. He was strong enough to dominate
the situation and did not give his rival a single opportunity to take the lead. Progressing towards the end, he cashed on his challenger’s serve in the seventh game and skilfully emerged as the winner at 6-2.
The third seeded contestant, Hanescu, snatched away nine of 16 first but just two from seven second serve points. The 6 ft 1 in, Pella, secured 11 first and six of eight second serve points in retaliation.
Tags: