Igor Kunitsyn outlasts Catalin-Ionut Gard to enter quarters – Tallahassee Tennis Challenger 2012
Seeded third in this event, Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn rallied past the Romanian contestant, Catalin-Ionut Gard, in three sets at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger 2012 on Wednesday. He nudged up a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory against the 30-year-old Romanian to power
into the quarter-finals at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger event held on the hard courts in Florida.
Kunitsyn required two hours and nine minutes to outmuscle the world number 548 in their first meeting. After pocketing this match, Kunitsyn assertively advanced into the final eight at the Forestmeadows Tennis Complex.
Ranked 90th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Kunitsyn stepped on the Floridian hard courts with conviction and held his opening serve to level the scores at 1-1. He then maintained consistency in his game and not only swiped
in his entire serves but got the breakthrough in the fifth game, consequently sealing the opener by winning six games to four.
The high-spirited Romanian re-focused in the follow-up set. He suffered the first blow in the seventh game and trailed at 3-4. However, Gard snatched his break back in the very next game to square the scores at 4-4. The Romanian then held his composure and
not only kept his remaining serves but capitalised on another break chance in the last game to clinch the equaliser with a 7-5 score line.
The frustrated Russian sought his rhythm again in the final set and after getting the coveted break in the opening game, he leaped to a 2-0 lead. He then brushed off all three breakpoints he faced and kept his remaining serves to pull out the decider with
a 6-4 win.
Overall, the Russian hammered nine aces and amazingly availed 38 out of 51 points on his slightly higher first serve share.
Next in queue for Kunitsyn is the local challenger, Tim Smyczek, who upset the seventh seed, Rogerio Dutra Silva in a three set mouth-watering match to set-up this duel. Smyczek outsmarted the Brazilian in two hours and two minutes after capitalising five
out of 12 break chances. The American also showed magnificent defending skills as he blocked seven out of 11 breakpoints he encountered.
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