Jerzy Janowicz stuns Steve Darcis in the second round – UniCredit Open 2012 CH
World number 152, Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, putting up an impressive show to upset Belgium’s Steve Darcis in three sets 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the second round at the UniCredit Open in Czech Republic on Wednesday.
Janowicz broke the fifth seeded Belgian in the third game and consolidated on it to grab a 3-1 lead. The Polish contender did not allow Darcis to comeback in the set and closed it 6-4.
Ranked 152nd in the world, Janowicz pounded two aces and committed one double fault. He hit 67 percent of the first serves and converted 14 of the 18 of them into points. The Polish also did quite well on the second
deliveries and returns, sealing six of the nine and eight of the 18 points on them respectively in the opener.
In contrast to the opener, Janowicz and Darcis made a steady start in the second set, holding their serves in the opening five games to take the score to 3-2 in the favour of the former. The Belgian went up 4-2, as he broke Janowicz
in the following one but the Polish contestant did not take much time to even it out at 4-4. Serving to stay in the set at 5-6, Janowicz managed to win just two points and lost it 5-7.
Darcis delivered 73 percent of the first serves and won 23 of the 32 points on them in the second set. The Belgian saved six of the seven break points he faced and converted the two he received.
In the final set, Darcis and Janowicz broke each other once in the first four games to equalise the score at 2-2. The Polish contender made decisive strike in the ninth and served it out at 5-4.
Janowicz had a low first serve percentage of 49 but he succeeded in snatching 12 of the 18 points on them. The Polish player needed two hours and 43 minutes to beat his opponent in a tough contest.
The right-hander will play either local favourite, Jan Mertl, or Slovakian qualifier, Marek Semjan, in the quarter-finals.
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