Javier Marti shocks Jan Mertl in round one – Marbella Open 2012 CH
Local challenger, Javier Marti, gave a three-set shock to his Czech rival, Jan Mertl, in the first round of the Marbella Open 2012 held at the red clay courts of Spain. He consolidated a triumph 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 on the eve of Tuesday
in two hours and 19 minutes.
The Spanish junior held the first serve in the opening set and despite of his lower rank he drew the lead. Nonetheless, Mertl, manifested his greater experience to level down the score line to 2-all in the fourth game and cashed
his serve in the very next game. From that point onwards, the two contenders battled hard for the top rank and evened out the scoreboard after every alternate game, ending the set with a tie-break. After a close encounter, the Czech veteran summed up his 7-6(5)
lead in the opener.
The Spanish junior double faulted five times and had 61 percent initial serve with 17 of 23 first and seven of 15 second delivery points. He snatched away two of five serve points and his rival secured two of four. The Czech right-hander
attained 53 percent first serve with 17 of 24 first serve points, helping to capitalize the front line.
In the second set, the 30-year-old Czech native was unable to retain his consistency and bestowed the initial two games to his competitor. The right-handed local dusted away his rival and beautifully evened out the score line to
2-all in the fourth game. Mertl struggled hard to make up for his initial loss and cashed his contender’s serve in retaliation. However, the Spaniard did not lose hope and gallantly progressed, avenging his former loss by a remarkable 6-2 lead.
In the final set, world number 181 Czech professional secured the initial lead by bagging away the initial two games without facing any real challenge. The 20-year-old Spaniard preserved his former lead and broke Mertl’s serve
in the fifth game. For the remaining part of the match, he swiftly progressed by pocketing all games and securing a 6-4 win.
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