Julien Benneteau downs Wayne Odesnik in opening round – Rogers Cup 2012
French contender, Julien Benneteau, tumbled the American challenger, Wayne Odesnik, in straight sets at the Rogers Cup 2012 on Tuesday. He penned down a 6-4, 6-4 victory against left-hander from American to advance into the second round at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event taking place in Toronto, Canada.
Benneteau, who is coming off capturing a bronze medal in the doubles event at London Olympics last week, carried his form to outclass the world number 133. After pocketing the match in one hour and 29 minutes, the French not only took lead in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against Odesnik but also secured a place in the second round at this outdoor hard court tournament held in Rexall Centre.
The 30-year-old enthusiastically entered this ATP Masters 1000 event. He dusted away the lone breakpoint he faced to keep his entire serves. Benneteau capitalised on one out of two break chances in the seventh game to get the breakthrough, eventually sealing the opener by winning six games to four.
Ranked 31st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Benneteau perfected his game in the following set. He cashed in one out of seven break chances in the third game to leap to a 3-1 lead. The French swiped his remaining serves without encountering any hindrance and consequently clicked the set with a 6-4 win.
Overall, the Swiss resident was clearly the better contestant on the court. He hammered eight aces and jolted down a better first serve share of 62 per cent in contrast with the American’s 58 per cent. Benneteau then sealed the deal with 68 points and comfortably progressed at this tournament.
Next challenge for Benneteau is the fourth seeded Tomas Berdych who suffered a first round exit at the London Olympics 2012 before entering this tournament. The Czech number one received a first round bye after being a seeded player at this tournament.
The Czech star, Radek Stepanek, also stole the show later that day. He devastated Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov with a breadstick in one hour and five minutes.
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