Jurgen Melzer upset by Lukas Rosol in the second round – French Open 2011
Last year’s semi-finalist, world number 8 Jurgen Melzer of Austria was beaten by qualifier, world number 111 Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic in five sets 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(3), 4-6 in the second round of French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Thursday. Rosol took three hours and 59 minutes to beat his opponent in a marathon match.
Melzer and Rosol broke each other twice in the first twelve games of the opening set, taking it to a tie-break. The Austrian captured two mini-breaks in the tie-break, sealing it 7-4. The left-handed made fourteen unforced errors and managed to hit just four winners in the first set. Melzer kept his first serve percentage at 57 percent and converted 79 percent of the first serves into points in the opening set. The Austrian capitalized on two of the eight break point opportunities he created in the first set.
Rosol needed a single break of serve in the second set to seal it 6-4. The Czech delivered 50 percent of the first serves in the second set, grabbing 84 percent of the points on them. The 25-yearold played aggressively as he hit twenty winners and fifteen unforced errors in the second set. Rosol converted one of the eight break points he received on Melzer’s serve and did not face any break point on his own serve in the second set.
After the score getting tied at one set apiece, Melzer came roaring as he broke his opponent in the very first game of the third set and held his serve in the next game to take a 2-0 lead. The Austrian capitalized on the single break of serve to win the third set 6-4. The 30-year-old fired four aces and 64 percent of the first serves, clinching 83 percent of the points on them in the third set. Melzer won the only break point he received in the third set.
In the fourth set, both players were able to break other’s serve once in the first twelve games and equalized the score at 6-6, forcing a tie-break. Rosol thrashed the Austrian in the tie-break and claimed it 7-3. The right-handed was lucky to win the set despite making a horrible 23 unforced errors in the fourth set.
Carrying the winning momentum into the deciding set, Rosol broke Melzer in the third game and consolidated on it to take a 3-1 lead. The Austrian fought, breaking back in the eighth game to tie the score at 4-4. However, Rosol clinched two consecutive games, breaking again in the ninth game and winning the set 6-4 to make the biggest upset of his career.
The Czech will meet Argentinean Juan Ignacio Chela, ranked 34th in the world, in the third round. Chela defeated South African Kevin Anderson in five sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the second round.
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