Illya Marchenko prevails over Fabrice Martin in the second qualifier – Mons Challenger 2012 CH
Ranked 199th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Illya Marchenko, defeated the French challenger, Fabrice Martin, in the second qualifiers of the Mons Challenger held
at the indoor hard courts of Belgium. The Ukrainian professional summed up his 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(2) win on the eve of Sunday.
The 26-year-old French professional commenced the initial set with his superior game plan but immediately the score line started to level down after every alternate game. Both players provided each other with
tough competition but Martin closed the set with his 7-6(5) score after a close tiebreaker round.
The 25-year-old, Marchenko, manifested 51 percent initial serve precision with 14 of 18 first and 15 of 17 second delivery points. He lagged behind his rival because he was unable to snatch away even a single
break point from the seven bestowed on him. Martin smashed four aces with relatively better initial serve precision of 70 percent. He converted 29 of 37 first and nine of 16 second serve points.
In the second set, higher ranked Ukrainian participant reversed the winning order. He broke the Frenchman’s serve and swiftly clinched the initial three games, stamping a 3-0 lead. In response to that, Martin
provided his rival with tough competition and busted his rival’s serve in the fifth game. The score line evened out three times until the end. This aroused an alarming situation for Marchenko, who previously received a surprising defeat in the opener. He nudged
forward and marked the set closure at 7-5 lead.
The world number 389, Frenchman, quickly activated his pace in the final set. He made a powerful comeback, by repeatedly squaring down the scores. The Ukrainian professional held his composure, which subsequently
dragged the set into a tiebreaker. The higher ranked, Marchenko, ultimately stole the decider with a 7-6(2) win.
The right-hander Martin fired five aces onto his rival with an improved first serve precision of 71 percent. He successfully bagged away 20 of 25 first and six of 10 second delivery points. He received two serve
breaks, but could not capitalize event on one. The Ukrainian junior responded back by bombarding four aces. He had 68 percent initial serve accuracy with 21 of 26 first and 10 of 12 second serve points.
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