Liang-Chi Huang prevails over Alexander Kudryavtsev in the second round – KEIO Challenger 2012
World number 352, Taiwan’s Liang-Chi Huang, survived late challenge from his opponent, ousting Russia’s 280th ranked contestant, Alexander Kudryavtsev, in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(3) in the second round of the KEIO Challenger
in Yokohama, Japan on Thursday. The Taiwanese player required only one hour and six minutes to clinch this easy win.
Huang and Kudryavtsev started the encounter stably, winning their serve in the opening six games and equalising the proceedings at 3-3. The Taiwanese participant struck in the seventh one and consolidated on it to go up 5-3. Huang
did not give any room to his rival to fight back, clinching it 6-4.
The Taiwanese contender banged in two aces and did not commit any double fault in the first set. He had a very impressive conversion rate, winning 15 of the 20 first and five of the seven second delivery points. In comparison,
Kudryavtsev also hit 74 percent of the first serves but he could claim just 15 of the 23 points on them. The Russian pair fared pretty badly on the second deliveries, losing five of the eight including one double fault.
Second set was even more competitive than the first one, with none of the two players managing to make a breakthrough in the opening eight games and taking the score to 4-4. Huang hit a blow to Kudryavtsev in the ninth to attain
a 5-4 lead but he could not capitalise on his advantage, losing his serve to equalise it at 5-5. The subsequent two games were held by the respective players, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. They went neck to neck till 2-2 but then Huang
bagged five of the next six points and won 7-6(3).
The Taiwanese contestant kept his first serve percentage at 61 and captured 15 of the 22 points on them. The 20-year-old could not save the only break point he faced but succeeded in converting the one he received in the second
set.
Huang is drawn to face the fourth seed, Matteo Viola of Italy, in the quarter-finals. Viola overcame Australia’s Benjamin Mitchell in the second round.
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