Malek Jaziri crushes Rajeev Ram to enter round two – Kremlin Cup 2012
Tunisian star, Malek Jaziri, devastated the American challenger, Rajeev Ram, with a breadstick at the Kremlin Cup 2012 on Monday. He nudged up a 6-3, 6-1 victory against his fellow 28-year-old to power into the round of 16 at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 Series event held in Moscow, Russia.
The Tunisian veteran showed brilliant tennis to crush Ram in their first encounter. After earning the fame in just under an hour, Jaziri not only took lead in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the world number 94 but also secured a place in the second round at this indoor hard court event.
Jaziri made a powerful entry at the Olympic Stadium. He drew the first blood in the fifth game and jumped to a 4-2 lead. The Tunisian held his remaining serves with poise and cashed another break opportunity in the end, eventually sealing the opener by winning six games to three. He was never challenged with any breakpoint and converted two out of four break chances to his advantage.
Ranked 112th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Jaziri lifted his game in the following set. He got the critical break in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. After Ram held his serve in the fourth game, the Tunisian bagged last three games and clinched the set with a breadstick. He was again never challenged with any breakpoint and cashed half of the four break chances to earn the fame.
Overall, Jaziri fired four aces and produced a better first serve share of 62 per cent as compared to his rival’s 49 per cent. He also spectacularly clicked 21 out of 23 points on it and ended the match with 54 points.
Next up for Jaziri is third seeded Viktor Troicki who received a bye into the second round after being the top four players at this event.
The sixth seed, Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan, hit back to overpower Germany’s Bjorn Phau in a three-set thriller. He was broken four times but cashed six out of 10 break opportunities to prevail.
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