Jurgen Melzer breezes past Ivan Ljubicic into second round – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2011
Fourteenth seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer dumped Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic in straights sets at the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2011, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event held on the outdoor hard courts of Shanghai, People’s Republic of
China. He registered a 6-4, 6-2 victory over the 32-year-old Croat to secure a second round spot on Tuesday.
The seeded Austrian took seventy-five minutes to trash Ljubicic for the fifth straight times in order to progress at this $3,240,000 event. He not only extended his lead in the head-to-head series by 5-0 against the Croat but also
confidently advanced into the second round to set-up a clash against Colombian Santiago Giraldo. Giraldo bounced back to register a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 success over the Croat Ivan Dodig to reach this spot.
Melzer comfortably entered the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena and plucked in entire serves without facing any hindrance or a breakpoint. He founded four breakpoint opportunities of which the Austrian converted one to his advantage
in the third game to clinch the opening set with a 6-4 win.
The rising star, Melzer formulated a lower first serve share of 52 percent as compared to Croat’s 58 percent but registered a spectacular 86 percent win on it.
Ranked 20th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings, Melzer carried his momentum into the final set and held his opening serve in the second game to square the scores at 1-1. He got the first blood in the
third game and despite losing his edge in the very next game, the Austrian swept out last four games in a row.
30-year-old saved two out of three breakpoints came across and capitalised on three out of four breakpoint opportunities to his advantage to seal the deal by winning six games to two. He further mustered the set by manifesting
a higher first serve share of 65 percent as compared to Ljubicic’s 44 percent and earned a fabulous 85 percent win on it. Melzer put a cherry on cake smashing four ferocious aces.
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