Marc Gicquel rallies past Daniel Munoz-De La Nava into the QFs – BNP Paribas Polish Open 2011 CH
French Marc Gicquel, ranked 112th in the world, survived second set meltdown to defeat world number 163 Daniel Munoz-De La Nava of Spain in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Polish Open in
Sopot, Poland on Wednesday. The match lasted for two hours and five minutes.
Gicquel made a solid start in the first set as he broke the Spaniard in the third game and held his serve in the next game to take a 3-1 lead. The French broke Munoz-De La Nava again in the seventh game and served out the set at
5-2.
The 34-year-old delivered 70 percent of the first serves and one ace in the opening set. Gicquel had an amazing first serve conversion rate as he captured 100 percent of the first service points. The French returned very well,
sealing eight of the fifteen first return points in the first set. Gicquel did not face any break point and won two of the seven break points he received in the opening set.
Munoz-De La Nava came back in the second set, breaking the French in the sixth game and holding his next service game to blaze forward to a 5-2 lead. The Spaniard served out the set in the ninth game, grabbing it 6-3.
The Madrid citizen did not have a good first serve percentage as he hit just 46 percent of the first serves in the second set. However, he compensated that by winning twelve of the thirteen first service points. The 29-year-old
also clinched nine of the fifteen points on the second serve in the second set. Munoz-De La Nava saved the one break point he faced and converted one of the three break points he received on Gicquel’s serve in the second set.
Munoz-De La Nava and Gicquel held their serve in the first eight games of the final set to tie the score at 4-4. Gicquel broke the Spaniard in the ninth game and consolidated on it to clinch the set 6-4.
The French captured 75 percent of the first service points and the same percentage of second service points in the deciding set. The six feet and two inches tall converted one of the three break point opportunities he created on
Munoz-De La Nava’s serve and managed to save all the three break points he faced in the third set.
Gicquel is drawn to play world number 107, compatriot Stephane Robert in the quarterfinals. The third seed dismissed world number 190 Ivan Navarro of Spain in the second round.
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