Luis Diaz Barriga overcomes Jeff Dadamo to enter the second round – Tulsa Challenger 2011
Mexican tennis pro Luis Diaz Barriga defeated Jeff Dadamo of United States in a thrilling three setter 6-7 (13), 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday to advance into the second round of 2011 Tulsa Challenger Series here in Oklahoma, United
States.
Barriga, who is unseeded at the Association of Tennis Professionals tournament, looked in commanding form in his opening match. Although he was tested thoroughly by Dadamo, he was able to come through it to make it to the pre-quarterfinal
round of the championships.
Jeff Dadamo put up a great fight, to his credit. However, he was unable to handle the pressure as he committed unforced errors at crucial stages of the match. Having done all the hard work to clinch the opening set in a tie-breaker,
the American was unable to raise his game to the required level in the following two sets. Suffering breaks of serve at regular intervals, his serve was the weakest side of his game play. He will be hoping to regroup himself to make a strong come back on his
next ATP appearance.
Dadamo made a great start to the match. Breaking the serve early in the opening set, he took control of the situation. However, Barriga was also up for the challenge and he broke straight back to even the set score. Both players
broke each other twice as the set went into a tie-breaker.
The contestants competed hard for every available point in the tie-breaker. The balance of the match shifted from one side to another as some high competitive tennis was witnessed. Outlasting his opponent on several long rallies,
Dadamo clinched the tie-breaker to take 1-0 set score lead.
Barriga fought back brilliantly in the following set. The Mexican held on to his service game quite comfortably to stay in the match. He then broke the serve in eight game of the set to take a crucial 5-3 lead, serving for the
set. Handling the pressure extremely effectively, he pocketed the second set to event the set score 1-1.
The third set was also played on an extremely competitive note as players gave their best shot to break one another. With momentum on his side, Barriga continued to play his natural game freely and he won tie-breaker with a 7-4
scoreline to complete a memorable victory in a match that lasted for 2 hours and 32 minutes.
Ranked 682nd in the world, Barriga will be very happy with the way he responded to difficult situations during the contest. He will be looking to produce similar performances in his upcoming matches as well.
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