Guillermo Garcia-Lopez rallies past Matteo Viola in the qualifiers – Sony Ericsson Open 2012
Qualifying third seed, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez needed three sets to outclass the Italian rising star, Matteo Viola, at the Sony Ericsson Open 2012 on Monday. He manipulated a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over the world number 154 to book
a spot in the final round of the qualifying competition at this hard court event held in Miami.
Garcia-Lopez unveiled his class at this two hour and seven-minute epic and overpowered the 24-year-old in three set thriller. As a result, the Spanish veteran advanced into the final qualifying round of this ATP (Association of
Tennis Professionals) World Tour Masters 1000 event.
Ranked 82nd in the South African Airways ATP World Rankings, Garcia-Lopez stormed into the Tennis Center at Crandon Park and leaped to a 3-0 lead with a break of serve. Regardless of losing his edge in the fifth game,
the Spaniard broke his opponent’s serve in the very next game and then held his remaining serves to seal the opener with a 6-3 win.
Viola on the other end went berserk in the following set and after breaking the Spaniard’s serve twice, he went 5-1 up. Despite squandering his chance of bagging a breadstick, he held his serve once more and clinched the equaliser
by winning six games to three.
The 28-year-old found his rhythm again in the final set and after capitalising on a break chance early in the set, he jumped to a 3-0 lead. Garcia-Lopez then remained focused and after exchanging two serve breaks, he pulled out
the decider with a 6-4 score line.
Overall, the Spaniard spilled fewer errors and produced a better first serve share of 60 per cent as compared to Viola’s 54 per cent. He also brilliantly marked 31 out of 50 points on it and defended seven out of 12 breakpoints
he came across.
He will square off against the 13th seed, Bobby Reynolds of America, who also overcame an Italian to reach this spot. The American booming star broke Simone Vagnozzi’s serve four times and brushed off three out of four
breakpoints he encountered, ultimately registering a 6-1, 6-4 score line in an hour and 19-minutes duel.
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