Kevin Anderson topples Malek Jaziri in the opener – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2012
Seeded 13th at the tournament, Kevin Anderson of South Africa made short work of Tunisian, Malek Jaziri, beating him in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 in the first round at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Spain on Tuesday.
The South African dumped his opponent in just an hour and 12 minutes.
Anderson got off to a flying start, as he broke the Tunisian in the second game of the opening set and held his next serve to build a 3-0 lead. Jaziri suffered another blow in the eighth game and lost it 2-6.
The right-hander, Anderson, pounded four aces and 69 percent of the first serves, claiming 14 of the 18 points on them in the first set. He relied heavily on his powerful returns, as he grabbed eight of the 17 first and six of
the 11 second reply points. The South African did not give any chance to Jaziri to break and capitalised on two of the four he created for himself.
The start of the second set was not different from the first, as Anderson snatched a break in the second game and consolidated on it to move ahead 3-0. The rest of it went with the serve and the South African won it 6-3.
The 6ft 8in tall, who is known for his huge serves, did not serve to his reputation in the second set, as he hit only a single ace and 69 percent of the first serves. Anderson bagged 18 of the 25 first and six of the 11 second
delivery points. Though, he did well to save all the six break points he faced and converted the only one he received.
The South African has had a good season so far, having a win/loss record of 14-8 and capturing one title on the ATP World Tour. He defeated Marinko Matosevic of Australia in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(2) in the final at the Delray
Beach International Tennis Championships, surprising the then world number 30, Andy Roddick and ranked 11th at that time, Mardy Fish, on the road to the title match.
Anderson will meet qualifier, Federico Delbonis of Argentina, in the second round.
Tags: