Igor Sijsling ousts Steve Johnson in opening round – Farmers Classic 2012
Dutch contender, Igor Sijsling, took down the local wildcard recipient, Steve Johnson, in straight sets at the Farmers Classic 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory against the 22-year-old to power into the second round at this ATP (Association
of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event taking place in UCLA, Los Angeles.
Sijsling required a single break of serve to outsmart the local challenger in their first outing. After earning the spotlight in one hour and eight minutes, the Dutch comfortably charged into the pre-quarters at this outdoor hard court tournament taking
place from 23rd to 29th July.
The 24-year-old high-spiritedly stepped on the Los Angeles hard courts in California. He fired exquisite forehands and backhands to swipe his entire serves without encountering any breakpoint. Despite failing to seek any break opportunity, Sijsling dominated
in the tie-breaker and pulled out the opener with a 7-6(4) score line.
Ranked 102nd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Sijsling perfected his winning ways in the following set. He again plucked his entire serves without facing any real challenge and cashed in the lone break chance in the sixth
game to click the set with a 6-3 win.
Summing up Sijsling’s performance at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event, the Dutch fired five aces and finished the match with 67 points. He formulated a much better first serve share of 71 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 53 per cent and magnificently
availed 39 out of 42 points on it.
Up next for Sijsling is second seeded local star, Sam Querrey, who received a bye into the second round after being the top four players at this Emirates Airline US Open series tournament.
The sixth seed, Marinko Matosevic, will join the Dutch star in the following round. He made an epic comeback from a set down to outrun his qualifying compatriot, Chris Guccione, in a three-set thriller. The seeded Aussie was broken twice bur capitalised
on four out of five break chances to record a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in their first encounter. He also clobbered a better first serve share and bagged the match in one hour and 34 minutes.
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