Kevin Anderson plonks Jarkko Nieminen in opening round – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012
South African number one, Kevin Anderson, dumped the Finn contender, Jarkko Nieminen, in straight sets at the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012 on Monday. He nudged up a 6-2, 7-6(4) success over the 31-year-old to book a spot in the round of 32 at the Qizhong
Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.
Anderson showed superb tennis skills to outmuscle the Finn in their second outing at this outdoor hard court event. The contestants last fought each other in Finland four years ago and after earning this success, the Johannesburg native improved to a 2-0
lifetime in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head Series against Nieminen.
The 26-year-old thundered into this ATP Masters 1000 event taking place from 6th to 14th October. He drew the first blood in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. Anderson kept his remaining serves with poise and availed another
break chance in the last game, eventually sealing the opener by winning six games to two.
Ranked 38th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Anderson kept momentum floating towards the proceeding set. He dusted away all three breakpoints he came across to keep his entire serves. Regardless of squandering all three break
chances, the South African star unveiled his class in the tie-breaker. He cruised to a 3-1 lead in it before closing out the set with a 7-6(4) win.
The in-form South African stayed on track to capture his second year-to-date title. He struck 16 aces and clobbered a better first serve share of 63 per cent in contrast with the Finn’s 53 per cent. Anderson also superbly marked 34 out of 37 points on it
and ended the match with 70 points.
Anderson will square off against eighth seeded John Isner who received a first round bye after being the top eight players at this event.
The Italian challenger, Andreas Seppi, will accompany Anderson in the proceeding round. He warded off late resilience posed by Germany’s Michael Berrer to progress. Seppi was broken once but capitalised on three out of five break chances to formulate a 6-2,
7-6(5) success.
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