Joao Sousa overpowers Javier Marti to bag the title – Mersin Challenger 2012
World number 146, Joao Sousa, edged past the 20-year-old Spaniard, Javier Marti, in the final of the Mersin Challenger on Sunday. He won the opening set before facing a bagel; did well to recover and power down the rival in the
final set to take the title. Final scores were 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.
A swap of breakpoints commenced the final of the tournament. Both players registered serve holds to push the scores to 2-2. It was the Spanish player to take hold of the proceedings with a breakthrough in the sixth game but couldn’t
hold the lead for long as his opponent pounced back on him in the seventh game. Sousa took hold and levelled the scores at 4-4.
It was the Spaniard who went down for the second time in a row that gave a lead to the Portuguese. Sousa registered a tight serve hold to take the opening set and exert pressure on her opponent.
However, despite seeing such a heartbreaking end to the opening battle the Spaniard didn’t lose heart and went out with the same courage and enthusiasm to upset his rival. He won the first four points to register a thumping serve
hold and couple it up with a stunning breakthrough in the following game.
The sudden outbreak set up the tone for the youngster who registered a tight serve hold and went on to take an unassailable lead of 4-0 courtesy to another cracking breakthrough. It was getting pretty ominous for the Portuguese
seventh seed. He dropped another serve game that forced him to face an embarrassing bagel in the second part of the battle.
The final set started well for the Portuguese who took the lead in the third game and consolidated it with a serve hold. However, the eighth seed Spaniard fought back into the match with a mind-startling performance in the sixth
game; constructed the breakpoint brilliantly and converted it with a breathtaking winner down the line.
Sousa faced a lot of problem in holding on to his serve in the eighth game but turned the tables on his competitor in the following game by winning four points on the trot. A sudden change in the momentum forced down the eighth
seed Spaniard who couldn’t strike back in the 10th game to keep the match alive.
Sousa won the match but there was absolutely nothing at all to spare between the two players. It was one of the most enthralling battles of the tournament that didn’t disappoint the crowd at all.
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