Juan Ignacio Chela edges past Daniel Gimeno-Traver into the quarterfinals – Bet-At-Home Cup 2011
World number 23 Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina saved two break points in the final set to rally past world number 80 Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round at the Bet-At-Home Cup in Kitzbuhel
on Wednesday. The Argentinean needed two hours and fourteen minutes to win a tough match.
The first set saw Chela and Gimeno-Traver breaking each other on a number of times. The Spaniard drew the first blood, breaking Chela in the second game to blaze forward to a 2-0 lead but he was unable to hold his serve in the
third game, taking the score to 2-1. Gimeno-Traver broke again in the fourth game and held his serve in the next game to go up 4-1. Chela, once again, made a comeback as he broke back in the seventh game to level the score at 4-4. However, Chela claimed two
successive games after that, breaking Gimeno-Traver in the ninth game and winning the set 6-4.
The Argentinean and Gimeno-Traver served poorly in the first set. Chela committed four double faults and delivered just 68 percent of the first serves, winning the same percentage of points on them. The 31-year-old claimed just
33 percent of the second service points in the opening set. On the other hand, Gimeno-Traver hit a meagre 47 percent of the first serves and converted 53 percent of them into points in the first set.
Gimeno-Traver came roaring into the second set, breaking the Argentinean in the second game and consolidating on it to take a 3-0 lead. The Spaniard did not allow Chela to break back throughout the set, serving it out at 5-3.
The Castellon resident improved his serve drastically as he fired four aces and captured 80 percent of the first service points in the second set. The right-handed also returned quite well as he grabbed six of the twelve first
return points in the second set.
Chela regained the momentum in the final set as he broke the Spaniard in the fourth game and held his serve in the next game to take a 4-1 lead. The Argentinean capitalised on the single break of serve and sealed the set 6-3.
The six feet and three inches tall saved both break points he faced on his own serve and capitalised on the only break point he received in the deciding set.
Chela will play either Croatian Antonio Veic or Marcel Granollers of Spain in the quarterfinals.
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