Malek Jaziri eases past Mikhail Ledovskikh to reach the semi-final – Istanbul Challenger 2011
Tunisian Malek Jaziri edged past Russian lucky loser, Mikhail Ledovskikh in straight sets at the American Express – TED Open 2011, an ATP Challenger Tour event held on the hard courts in Istanbul, Turkey. He registered a 6-4, 7-5
victory over the 25-year-old Russian to secure a last four spot on Friday.
The Tunis resident, Jaziri required one and half hour to trash the lucky loser on their first meeting. He showed amazing tennis to book a final four spot in this Challenger series.
Ranked 154th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings, Jaziri stormed into the opening game and got the first blood to take the initial lead. He then kept entire serves through exquisite forehands from his
box of tricks to win the opener with a 6-4 score line.
The Tunisian spilled more errors and clobbered a lower first serve share of 53 percent as compared to Russian’s 58 percent. However, he earned an excellent 88 percent win on it. Further mustering the set, Jaziri warded off both
breakpoints came across and capitalised on the only breakpoint opportunity to his advantage to clinch.
27-year-old Tunisian kept momentum rolling into the final set and smoothly held entire serves without facing any hindrance or a breakpoint. He required only a single breakpoint chance which Jaziri duly converted to his advantage
in the eleventh game to clinch the set by winning seven games to five.
The Bizerte native, Jaziri produced a slightly higher first serve share of 57 percent as opposed to his opponent’s 55 percent and registered a superb 88 percent win on it again.
Next challenge for Jaziri is the wild card entrant and the top seed, Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber who dumped Spaniard Arnau Brugues-Davi in straight sets to reach this spot.
Richard Berankis is another unseeded player to join Jaziri in the final four. The Lithuanian made an epic comeback from 6-1 down to overpower Irish James McGee in two hours and twenty-five minutes earlier that day.
24-year-old Irish made quick in-roads in the opening set and got the first blood in the very first game. After the Lithuanian held his serve in the third game, McGee went on rage mode to reel off next four games in a row to earn
a breadstick.
Ranked 157th in the ATP rankings, Berankis exchanged two breaks early on but the third breakpoint opportunity he converted to his advantage led him seal the set by winning seven games to five.
21-year-old Lithuanian kept momentum rolling into the final set and earned the critical break in the first game. He then broke again in the fifth game and kept entire serves to win the decider with a 6-2 score line.
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