Marc Gicquel devastates Tomasz Bednarek to reach quarters – Open Prevadies Saint-Brieuc
Third seeded local star, Marc Gicquel, crushed the Polish qualifier, Tomasz Bednarek, with a bagel at the Open Prevadies Saint-Brieuc on Thursday. He jolted down a 6-0, 6-2 victory against the 30-year-old to secure a place in the quarter-finals at this ATP
(Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event held on clay courts in France.
Gicquel got the better of the world number 1029 in almost an hour after reeling off the opening eight games successively. After earning the limelight at this event, the French convincingly advanced into the final eight.
Ranked 165th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Gicquel thundered into the opening set and stroke out the starting six games in a row. He warded off both breakpoints he encountered and capitalised on three out of seven break
opportunities to register this spectacular 6-0 success.
The French lost his track in the following set and suffered the first blow in the opening game, eventually falling at 0-2. However, he rebounded with a fitting reply and after cashing in three out of seven break chances, Gicquel clinched the set with a 6-2
score line.
Summing up the seed’s performance in this battle, Gicquel clobbered a lower first serve share of 51 per cent as opposed to the Pole’s 55 per cent. However, he availed 16 out of 18 points on it and fully capitalised on nine double faults his rival committed.
The French also sought 14 break opportunities and sealed the deal by earning 65 points.
Next challenge for Gicquel is his wild card compatriot, Josselin Ouanna, who took down Belgian contender, Yannick Mertens, in straight sets in 62 minutes. The 25-year-old failed to brush off both breakpoints he faced but broke his opponent’s serve four times
to formulate a 6-3, 6-4 win.
The fourth seed, Maxime Teixeira, will accompany his fellow citizen, Gicquel, in the quarter-finals. He swiftly plucked his entire serves without facing any barrier and converted three out of 11 break chances to his advantage, ultimately manipulating a 6-4,
6-1 score line. Teixeira spilled more errors and clobbered poor first serve share. However, he brilliantly clinched 22 out of 28 points on it and fired four aces to rule the match.
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