Jan Mertl, Andre Begemann move into the main draw – Eckental Challenger 2011
On October 31, 2011, the men’s singles qualifying matches for the 2011 Eckental Challenger entered into the final round. Jan Mertl (Czechoslovakia) defeated Matwe Middelkoop (Netherlands) in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2.
The 29-year old Czechoslovakian scored eight aces in the match with two double faults and saved both of his breakpoints. The 28-year old Dutch was not in the best of his form, as he could not come close to his opponent in both
the sets.
In the first set, Mertl, ranked 183rd in the world, delivered four aces with 50% first serve winning ratio. Both the players did not concede any double fault in the first set. Middelkoop had a 65% first serve winning
ratio, fifteen percent higher than his opponent, but he could not even win a single game in the first set.His poor performance in the first set was mainly because he was not able to win any game in early parts of the first set.
Mertl did not let any of his service games to reach a breakpoint for he was flawless in his attack and counter attack. The Dutch could save only one breakpoint from the four he got and was not able to score much with aces.
Middelkoop should work on his counter attack strategy, and learn how to contain his opponent in gaining points. In the second set, Mertl won all of his first service points as he scored a hundred percent success rate while Middelkoop
could only manage to win only 38% points from his first serve.
In another match contested on October 31, 2011, Andre Begemann (Germany) defeated Philipp Oswald (Austria) 7-6(5), 6-3. Both the players showed decency in shots in the firsts set, which entered into a tiebreaker.
The 27-year old Begemann had a 77% first serve winning ratio as compared to Oswald’s 62%. However, the Austrian scored seven aces as compared to four by German, it was Begemann who clinched the first set 7-6(5).
In the second set, the 229th ranked Begemann, was again in the lead. In the first set, he had to fight to win the set when Oswald took it into a tiebreaker. In the second set, however, he did not close the lead that
he maintained in the early parts.
Although Oswald, ranked 263rd in the world, scored four aces, he had a lower first serve winning ratio in the second set. The German played for the win as he contained the Austrian to three games in the second set and
did not give him room to score points.
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