Janko Tipsarevic rallies past Gilles Simon into the second round – Rakuten Japan Open 2012
Third seed, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, took a quick revenge from the world number 18 from France, Gilles Simon, in the first round of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.
Tipsarevic came from behind to defeat the Frenchman in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a match which took two hours and 24 hours to get completed. Simon had stunned the Serbian in the semi-finals of the Thailand Open last week.
The French contender hit the first blow, stinging a break in the third game and holding his next serve to gain a 3-1 lead. The 27-year-old did not allow the Serbian star to bounce back and closed the first set 6-4.
At the end of the opener, it seemed like Simon would succeed in recording second upset win over Tipsarevic within a gap of four days. However, the Serbian number two had other plans in his mind. The right-hander changed his strategy
and it worked for him, as he captured a 3-0 in the second set. Simon reduced the gap by winning two games in a row but Tipsarevic broke again in the sixth and consolidated on it to move ahead 5-2. When the Serbian served for the set in the ninth game, there
was an intense battle, which looked like a never ending one. However, after fighting for 24 points and saving five break threats, Tipsarevic was able to hold and win 6-3.
The Serbian came roaring in the decider and broke Simon in the very first game to take a 1-0 lead but the Frenchman hit back immediately to even out the proceedings at 1-1. It was Tipsarevic who completely dominated the proceedings
after that, grabbing five in a row to seal it 6-1.
Ranked ninth in the world, Tipsarevic gave a mixed performance on his serve. The Belgrade, Serbia resident fired six aces but put in just 65 percent of the first deliveries. The 5ft 11in tall converted 49 of the 75 first and 20
of the 41 second serves into points.
Tipsarevic is slated to meet Swiss qualifier, Marco Chiudinelli, in the second round.
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