Jarkko Nieminen eases past Paul-Henri Mathieu to reach the quarters – Open Sud de France 2012
World number 50, Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, continues to impress everyone with his brilliant tennis skills and ousted the local wildcard entrant, Paul-Henri Mathieu, in the second round clash of the Open Sud de France on Thursday. the contest lasted for
one hour and 20 minutes, with the eighth seeded Finn coming out as the winner in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-1, to book a spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Being a part of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series, the contest was played on the indoor hard courts of the Arena Montpellier, in Montpellier, France. The local crowd was in for supporting their wildcard entrant but expertises
of the Finn veteran were too good for him. Nieminen faced some resistance from Mathieu in the opening set but prevailed in the tie-breaker round to get to a substantial position in the match. Once getting into his winning groove, the eighth seed blasted his
way in the second set to conclude his victory with a breadstick, confirming a place in the round of eight.
Prior to the contest on Thursday, the head-to-head series between the two men was levelled at 1-1; Mathieu was victorious in their last meeting at the 2009 Australian Open, where Nieminen pulled out of the match after losing the opening set to award a retirement
to the Frenchman. The eighth seed had his revenge this time in Montpellier and demolished the local hopes to earn a spot in the quarter-final rounds of the tournament.
The eighth seed competitor banged 77 per cent of his first serve on target and clinched 33 out of 46 points on it to down his opponent. He converted three out of five break chances in the match, with Mathieu register just one break point in the entire contest
to finish on the losing side in the end.
Nieminen has to go through the other Frenchman, the number three seed Gael Monfils, in the next encounter to fight for a berth in the semis. Monfils registered a comprehensive victory over the American veteran, Michael Russell, 6-3, 6-3, in second round
to book a date with Nieminen in the round of eight. The third seed French is one of the hot favourites for bagging the Open Sud de France title on his home soil and his emphatic start to the tournament hints that the Frenchman is well prepared for it.
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