Jurgen Zopp stuns Alejandro Falla to reach the main rounds – If Stockholm Open 2011
Seeded at number one in the qualifying draw, world number 85, Alejandro Fall of Colombia, was surprised by a superb performance from the unseeded Estonian, Jurgen Zopp, in the qualifying competition of the If Stockholm Open on Monday.
The contest was staged on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm, Sweden, with Zopp outplaying the top seeded Colombian in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-2, in one hour and twenty six minutes of play. The 23-year-old Estonian outplayed Falla in every segment of the game to force a place in the main draw of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 tournament.
The contest appeared fairly poised in the opening set, with both contestants straining hard to get the early advantage in the competition. Zopp took down the Colombian in first set after a stiff competition in the tie breaker round and once getting the upper hand in the competition, the Estonian absolutely devastated the top seed in the following set to conclude an emphatic victory in the end.
Rated at number 145 in the ATP World Rankings, Zopp displayed a far better game play than his rankings suggest. He made his phenomenal serve as the primary weapon of destruction against Falla, reeling off 36 out of 49 first serve points to root out his opponent. Zopp cracked in seven aces and registered four out of seven break points in the matchup to come out as the winner in the end.
Falla looked very competitive in the early parts of the game but went through a terrible slump in the set number two to let his opponent get the better of him. The Colombian frittered away six break opportunities and converted merely two to finish on the losing side.
The opener witnessed two serve breaks each from both contestants in the matchup, keeping the score board on even terms. Once the scores reach 6-6, a tie breaker came into play but the top seed crumbled under pressure to miss a couple of vital opportunities. Zopp pocketed the first set at 7-6(4), and then carried on his winning impetus in the following set as well. He nailed two crushing serve breaks in the second set to seal victory at 6-2, marching into the opening round of main draw of the tournament.
Zopp will play his first match in the main draw against the Australian wildcard entrant, Bernard Tomic, for a place in the round of 16.
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