Jan-Lennard Struff outmuscles Jamie Baker in the quarter-finals – Loughborough Challenger 2012 CH
Ranked 208th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Jan-Lennard Struff, successfully rallied past his countryman, Jamie Baker, in the quarter-finals of the AEGON GB Pro-Series Loughborough Challenger 2012
held at the indoor hard courts of Acrylic, England. He registered a 6-4, 6-1 victory in nearly one hour and 26 minutes on Friday.
The 26-year-old, Baker, commenced the initial set but his serve crashed in the third game. Struff proved to be a good opportunist and smartly progressed in the contest by taking the lead. He beautifully pocketed away all the remaining
games without facing any resistance. The lower-ranked Briton, Baker, displayed a sloppy game plan and was unable to perform up to the mark. Struff displayed his true brilliance as he swiftly took off and terminated the initial set with a 6-4 score line.
World number 237, Baker, manifested 45 percent initial serve precision with 10 of 13 first and 10 of 16 second serve points. He was unable to snatch even a single break point from the four presented and his rival clinched one from
his five chances. The higher ranked German manifested 48 percent first serve accuracy with 11 of 15 first and 11 of 16 second serve points to pocket the lead.
In the second set, 6ft tall Baker was unable to take the beat and gifted away his serve in the third game. Struff’s intensity geared up and he re-ignited his passion for the sport by stealing every successive game. He nailed his
desired break in the fifth game and registered his win with a bread stick.
The 22-year-old, Struff, had a relatively higher initial serve precision of 63 percent. He converted nine of 10 first and four of six second delivery points. He secured the front by capitalizing on three of five break points and
his challenger was unable to attain any. The British senior secured 38 percent initial serve with eight of 15 first and nine of 24 second serve points in response.
In the next round, Struff will contest a tough battle against the seventh seeded, Adrian Mannarino. The Frenchman gave the higher ranked Israeli competitor, Dudi Sela, a shocking defeat at 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
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