Javier Marti upsets Grega Zemlja in the opening round – Rai Open 2012
Spanish contestant, Javier Marti, shocked the fifth seed, Grega Zemlja, in straight sets at the Rai Open 2012 on Tuesday. He summed up a 6-4, 6-4 victory against the 25-year-old to secure a place in the second round at this red clay court event taking place
in Rome, Italy.
The Spanish youngster showed brilliant abilities to outsmart the world number 127 in straight sets in one hour and 37 minutes. Meeting each other for the first time, Marti powered into the round of 16 at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger
Tour event with confidence.
Marti blasted into the opening set and got the desiderated break in the first game to take the initial lead. Apart from losing his edge in the very next game, the Spaniard broke his opponent serve in the third game again and eventually leaped at 3-1. He
then held his remaining serves after blocking the lone breakpoint he encountered and sealed the opener with a 6-4 win.
Ranked 171st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Marti kept momentum running into the proceeding set and earned the critical break in the third game to put his nose ahead for the first time. He maintained his intensity in the remaining
game and capitalised on another break chance in the seventh game to extend his lead at 5-2. Despite losing his serve in the very next game, the Spaniard plucked his serve once more and pulled out the set with a 6-4 score line.
Overall, the 20-year-old spilled more errors but availed 35 out of 51 points on his amazing first serve share of 76 per cent. He brushed off two out of four breakpoints he encountered and converted four out of nine break chances to his advantage.
Up next for Marti is the Serbian challenger, Dusan Lajovic, who rallied past the local wild card entrant, Gianluca Naso, in a three set thriller to secure this spot.
The second seed, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, will join his compatriot, Marti, in the second round. He lost his serve once but broke Dustin Brown’s serve five times to seal the deal with a breadstick.
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