Jan Hernych overcomes Matteo Viola in the first round – Credit Agricole Suisse Open 2012
In a first round match between the two qualifiers, Czech Republic’s Jan Hernych upset the 155th ranked, Matteo Viola of Italy, in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the opening round at the Credit Agricole Suisse Open in Gstaad,
Switzerland on Monday. Hernych needed an hour and 59 minutes to undo his opponent in a closely contested match.
The Czech player made an ideal start, as he clinched opening three games to race to a 3-0 lead. Viola broke one back in the fourth and held his following serve to reduce the deficit to 2-3. However, the Italian could not pull back
the second one till the end, getting broken again in the ninth to lose 3-6.
Hernych’s serve statistics were not that brilliant, as he hit a lone ace and put in just 61 percent of the first deliveries, grabbing 15 of the 23 points on them. The Czech contender fared above averagely on the responses to his
rival’s serves, as he clinched 13 of the 24 first and eight of the 16 second reply points. The 33-year-old put away six of the seven break threats he came across and availed three of the seven chances he created in the opener.
Viola hit a blow to the Czech participant in the very first game of the second set and consolidated on it to take a 2-0 lead. The Italian got the second breakthrough in the seventh and capitalised on the double advantage to win
6-2.
The right-hander, Viola committed a couple of double faults but Hernych went further ahead, as he made four in the second set. Viola snatched most of the points on his first serves and second returns, as he claimed 10 of the 12
and 10 of the 14 points on them respectively.
The Italian was the first to take lead in the decider, as he struck in the opening game to move ahead 1-0 but Hernych went on a winning spree afterwards, securing four in a row to build a 4-1 advantage. The Czech contestant banked
on his lead till the end, closing it 6-3.
Hernych was unable to delivery any ace but at least he reduced his double faults to only one. The Prague, Czech Republic resident converted two of the three break points he received in the final set.
The 212th ranked player will meet the winner of the first round match between Henri Laaksonen and Santiago Giraldo in the round of 16.
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