Ivan Sergeyev outlasts Vishnu Vardhan in the quarter-finals – Karshi Challenger 2012
World number 216, Ivan Sergeyev of Ukraine, faced some resistance from the 285th ranked player from India, Vishnu Vardhan, but defeated him in straight sets 7-6(6), 7-5 in the quarter-finals of Karshi Challenger in Uzbekistan
on Thursday.
Vardhan recently featured in the singles and doubles event at the London Olympics. Initially, he went to play doubles with Indian number one, Leander Paes, but then he also got a place in the singles draw.
The Indian number five played bravely, as he and Paes lost to the number two seeds, Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in three sets 6-7, 6-4, 3-6 in the second round. Vardhan earned a lot of praise from Paes, who is the most
successful tennis player from India in the history.
Coming back to the latest match, Sergeyev and Vardhan exchanged blows in the first set and took the score to 6-6, forcing a tie-breaker. They went at par in the first 12 points but then the Ukrainian clinched two in a row to seal
it 7-6(6).
The Ukrainian contestant banged in two aces and 64 percent of the first serves, winning 20 of the 27 points on them. The 24-year-old saved one of the two break points he faced and converted one of the two he received in the first
set.
Sergeyev and Vardhan served brilliantly in the second set, holding their serve in the first 11 games to take the score to 6-5 in favour of the former. The Indian contender failed to hold at that moment and threw away it 5-7.
The Ukrainian participant hit a single ace and committed a couple of double faults this time. The right-hander kept his first serve percentage at 55 and secured 15 of the 17 points on them. The higher ranked player among these
two did not face any break point and converted the one he received in the second set.
Sergeyev needed one hour and 45 minutes to complete this victory over his opponent.
The Ukrainian contender is pitted against the top seed, Igor Kunitsyn of Russia, in the semis. Kunitsyn beat Canada’s Steven Diez in the quarter-finals.
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