Ivan Dodig beats Vishnu Vardhan in the first round battle – Aircel Chennai Open 2012
Home favourite wild card entrant, Vishnu Vardhan, was stunned by the brilliance of Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in the first round of men’s singles competition at the 2012 Aircel Chennai Open on Monday. He was included in the tournament as a last minute entry, as
Indian fans anticipated him to go further into the tournament but his voyage was halted by Dodig in the very first match of the main draw, registering victory at 6-4, 6-7, 1-6.
Vardhan’s loss in the first round of the competition came as a shock for the Indian fans. The local crowd was earlier jolted by the sudden departure of Somdev Devvarman, who opted to leave the tournament due to a shoulder injury. 24-year-old Vardhan scored
an impressive eleven aces in the match but with the expense of 5 double faults. The match, which ended in two and a half hour, went into the third set as both players were playing on the offensive. The Indian was effective with his serves when he kept his
dominating streak in the first set. He restricted Dodig to four games as he went on to win the first set 6-4.
Dodig made a thumping comeback in the second set, winning 20 out of his 26 points from his first serve, while Vardhan won 24 out of 32 points from his. Vardhan was also playing to get a win and he remained aggressive throughout the contest. This was something
which the fans loved to watch as their local hero kept showing a gutsy performance. Both players scored points with some breath-taking shots to keep the score board ticking on even terms.
Intense battle was witnessed in the second set of the match, dragging the game into a tie-breaker round. This was the moment when the crowd was anticipating a do or die scenario for Vardhan but in the end, it was Dodig who emerged as the winner of the second
set, 7-6(8).
With both players pocketing one set apiece, Dodig went for a kill in the decisive third set of the match. The Croatian gave all he had to stretch the lead into the set which made the Indian uncomfortable. Dodig’s service games kept him a step further into
the third set for he did not let the Indian get a grip on the game. Vardhan, a wild card entry, was unable to settle against the fifth seeded Dodig.
The Croatian’s powerful forehands and swift legs kept him ahead of Vardhan throughout the match. This was the first time when the two players met and Dodig showed his worth on the court. Dodig will now face the winner of the Frederico Gil (Portugal) vs.
Go Soeda (Japan) match.
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