James Blake upsets Ryan Harrison to reach round two – BB&T Atlanta Open 2012
In an all-American affair, James Blake bounced back to stun his sixth seeded compatriot, Ryan Harrison, in a three-set thriller at the BB&T Atlanta Open 2012 on Tuesday. He jolted down a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory against the 20-year-old to book a spot in the
round of 16 at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in Johns Creek, Georgia.
Blake displayed exceptional fighting back skills and after losing the opening set, he stayed focused and pulled out the victory in their second encounter. After stealing the limelight in one hour and 46 minutes, the 32-year-old not only improved to a 2-0
lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against his fellow citizen but also progressed into the second round at this outdoor hard court event.
The 2011 Atlanta semi-finalist, Harrison thundered into the Atlantic Station and drew the first blood in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Despite losing his edge in the very next game, the youngster stroke out the last four games successively and clicked
the opener with a breadstick.
Ranked 110th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Blake rebounded in the follow-up set and swiftly bagged his entire serves without facing any barriers. He got the breakthrough in the sixth game and pulled out the equaliser by
winning six games to three.
The match could have gone in any direction but the lower ranked American maintained consistency in the final set. He endured the initial blow in the second game and fell at 0-2. However, Blake quickly counterattacked and recovered in the very next game.
He held his remaining serves without facing any breakpoint and cashed in his second break chance in the 11th game, eventually sealing the decider with a 7-5 win.
All in all, the Blake produced a better first serve share of 60 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 50 per cent and magnificently marked 37 out of 55 points on it.
Up next for Blake is Australia’s Matthew Ebden who hit back to outclass the Ukrainian qualifier, Sergei Bubka, in three sets to set up this encounter.
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