Guillaume Rufin upsets Leonardo Mayer in semi-finals – Villa Allende Challenger 2012 CH
Third seeded, Guillaume Rufin, prevailed over the higher ranked tennis professional, Leonardo Mayer, in the semi-finals of the Copa Agco Cordoba 2012. He consolidated his straight sets win at 6-4, 6-1 at the courts of Villa Allende,
Argentina in one hour and 22 minutes on the eve of Saturday.
The two encountered each other in the first round at the hard courts of US Open in the year 2010. Despite of his lower world rankings, the Frenchman showed his remarkable game plan and jolted down a 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-1.
The third seeded, Rufin, commenced the opening set with a remarkable game plan and held initial serve irrespective of the pressure by the higher ranked professional. Both the players gave each other a tough competition in the initial
part of the set. The score line squared down three times, until the eighth game. However, the French junior jumped forward to cash the only chance in the last game, marking a 6-4 lead.
The top seeded, Mayer, secured 42 percent initial serve, converting nine of 13 first and 10 of 18 second delivery points. The world number 124, Rufin, attained 53 percent initial serve with 16 of 18 first but just six of 16 second
serve points.
In the second set, the 22-year-old, Rufin held his initial serve and boldly drew blood once again, showing his strong resolve to secure the set. He broke his opponent’s serve in the fourth game and stamped a 3-1 lead. He beautifully
reeled off all the games without facing any real challenge by the Argentinean senior. Eventually, the right-hander French player closed the match with a breadstick.
The 25-year-old, Argentinean professional manifested a relatively lower initial serve of 50 percent. He bagged away just four of eight first and three of eight second delivery point. Like before, he was unable to secure a single
serve break opportunity and his competitor pocketed away all two. In comparison to that, the lower ranked French man had an improved initial serve of 60 percent with nine of 12 first and seven of eight second delivery points.
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