Joao Sousa prevails over Stephane Robert in the quarter-finals – Trnava Challenger 2012
Third seeded, Joao Sousa, successfully qualified for the semi-finals of the Arimex Challenger 2012, held in Slovakia. The Portuguese summed up his 2-1 lead against the Frenchman, Stephane Robert, in the head-to-head
series after this ATP Challenger encounter. After a tough encounter between the two, Sousa concluded the match with his 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5, triumph in approximately two hours and 17 minutes.
Sousa was unable to exhibit his excellent run of form and Robert broke his serve in the third game and secured the 2-1 lead. The Frenchman assertively advanced in the game without facing any difficulty and dominated
the score line for the major segment of the set. Sousa gradually built momentum and levelled the scores to 6-6 until the last game. Eventually, Robert concluded the set 7-6(3) after a tiebreaker round.
Ranked 276th in the ATP World Tour Rankings, Robert displayed 61 percent initial serve accuracy, with 16 of 25 first serve and eight of 16 second delivery points. His rival, on the contrary,
had 62 percent first serve precision, converting 12 of 23 first and 10 of 14 second serve points.
The 23-year-old returned with his strong game plan and dissolved the Frenchman’s confidence by busting his very first serve. He secured the opportunity by bagging away the initial two games and stamped his 2-love
lead. Robert struggled hard to gain his former pace and in this endeavour, he broke Sousa’s serve in the sixth game. However, it seemed impossible for him to counterattack his rival’s pressure. The right-hander Portuguese made a smart move and nudged forward
to secure the last two games, closing the set with his 6-3 win.
The world number 109th, Sousa continued in the final set with a strong resolve to defeat the French veteran. He broke his opponent’s initial serve and grabbed the initial three games, marking a 3-love
lead. Nonetheless, Robert never gave up his efforts and broke Sousa’s serve in the seventh game, evening out the score line to 4-4 in the subsequent game. Like the previous set, the Portuguese professional won the last two games and imprinted his 7-5 win.
The Portuguese senior manifested 66 percent initial serve precision with 14 of 23 first and eight of 12 second serve points. The French participant responded back with 56 percent first serve accuracy but could
merely attain 12 of 22 points. He also snatched away one of the three serve break and Sousa secured two of five.
Sousa will battle against the fifth seeded, Andrey Kuznetsov in the next round of the ATP Challenger.
Tags: