Local players Nikola Ciric and Miljan Zekic proceed to next qualifying round at Belgrade
Nikola Ciric defeats Siarhei Betau 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
Serbian local tennis player Nikola Ciric managed to recover from a set down against Siarhei Betau of Belarus to win their first meeting ever at the first round of the qualifying singles for the 2011 Serbia Open in Belgrade. The
match lasted just over one hour and fifty-five minutes.
It was not an easy victory for Nikola Ciric, who is currently ranked just outside the ATP Top 200 at World Number 201. He struggled mightily in the first set, as Betau shot ahead after scoring two aces and committing no double
faults to break Ciric twice. He won the first set 6-2, but Ciric entered the match with renewed fervour in the next set to take his opponent down 6-3 after scoring four aces and converting the sole break point in this part of the match.
The last set was the most competitive one of the match, as the two players battled back and forth for a chance to keep their main-draw dreams alive. Ciric scored another four aces and was broken once, but managed to defeat Siarhei
Betau 7-6(4) after a gruelling tie-breaker.
The Serbian player won the match with a final score-line of 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).
Miljan Zekic undoes Marco Crugnola 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Another Serbian tennis player Miljan Zekic scored a difficult victory over Italy’s Marco Crugnola, defeating the player in a three-hour-long match which ended with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win for the Serb in the first round of the Belgrade
qualifying singles.
The player, who is ranked World Number 449, undid Marco Crugnola despite the fact that the other pro is currently ranked World Number 229. He scored eight aces during the match, and broke his opponent seven times out of twenty-three
opportunities in a lopsided match which kept spectators on the edge of their seats. It was a very cose win for Miljan Zekic, who took just two points more than his opponent to win the match.
The final score-line between Zekic and Crugnola was 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
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