Karol Beck qualifies for main draw after overpowering Roberto Bautista-Agut – US Open 2012
Slovakian contender, Karol Beck, stunned the qualifying fifth seed, Roberto Bautista-Agut with a breadstick at the US Open 2012 on Friday. He jolted down a 6-3, 6-1 victory against the seeded Spaniard to cruise into the main draw at this last of the four Grand Slam events held in Corona Park, New York City.
Seeded 24th in the qualifying competition, Beck displayed brilliant tennis to upset the 24-year-old. Both contestants encountered each other at the Bath Challenger last circuit and after earning this success, the Slovak maintained his winning record and advanced into the first round at this major hard court event.
The Slovakian veteran thundered into the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He drew the first blood in the opening game and took the initial lead. Despite losing his edge in the fourth game, Beck quickly broke his opponent’s serve once more and eventually leaped to a 4-2 lead. After Bautista-Agut held his serve in the seventh game, the Slovak bagged the last two games and clinched the opener with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 143rd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Beck maintained his intensity in the following set. He got the critical break in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead before Bautista-Agut could hold on. The Slovak stroke out the last three games and sealed the set with a breadstick.
On the whole, Beck smacked seven aces and spilled only three double faults. He clobbered a lower first serve share of 43 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 56 per cent but tremendously marked 19 out of 23 points on it. He ended the match with 67 points and ultimately stole the spotlight.
Next challenge for Beck is the fifth seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France in the opening round.
The qualifying top seed, Igor Sijsling will join the Slovak in the opening round. He eased past France’s Josselin Ouanna, in straight sets to progress. The Dutch seed was broken once but triumphed over the French after capitalising on three break opportunities. He formulated a 6-3, 6-4 victory to set up a date with Spain’s Daniel Gimeno-Traver.
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