Jan-Lennard Struff sails past Pierre-Hugues Herbert into the main draw – Eckental Challenger 2011
On October 31, 2011, Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) in straight sets in the final round qualifier of the 2011 Eckental Challenger. 21-year old Struff was not in the mood to lose while playing
the final round qualifying match on home soil. With a total of five aces and only one double fault throughout the match, the German won the match 6-4, 6-2.
In the first set, Struff saved the only break point he conceded while his opponent, 305th ranked Herbert was able to save two break points out of the five he faced. The French was not replying to his opponent’s shots
with accuracy as he had five double faults in the first set. 20-year old Herbert also had a lower first serve percentage as he scored forty-seven percent while Struff scored fifty-three percent.
Herbert, however, did score eight aces in the first set, which was an indication that he was trying to get ahead of the German to secure a lead that would help him gain victory. However, Struff was playing sensible tennis as he
conceded only one double fault in the first set.
In the second set, 305th ranked Herbert could manage to save one out of three break points and again, his first serve percentage was lower than Struff’s. The German did score only two aces in the second set but was playing
with the victory in mind, which is why he did not concede any double fault. Herbert, on the other hand, scored four aces but again, he did give valuable points to Struff with three double faults.
Earlier in the qualifying rounds, Struff had qualified by defeating compatriot Daniel Baumann in a straight set victory, 6-4, 6-3. In the final round qualifier against Herbert, played on October 31, 2011, he again won in straight
sets, proving his worth in the ATP circuit. On the other, Herbert had earlier won his qualifier against Holger Fischer (Germany) 6-3, 7-6(4).
Herbert was struggling to take a lead in his qualifier against Fischer played on October 30, 2011, and it was also evident that he was not on his mark when he played the final round qualifier against Struff on October 31, 2011.
With his win in the final rounds of the qualifying stage of the 2011 Eckental Challenger, Struff can make an impact in the main rounds of the tournament.
On the other hand, Herbert should concentrate on his attacking shots and needs to fine-tune his strategies to counter his opponents in crucial parts of the match.
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