Marcel Granollers downs Nikolay Davydenko to qualify for the second round of Mutua Madrid Open
World number 50 Marcel Granollers of Spain prevailed over former world number 3 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 in the opening round at the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday. The Spaniard won an evenly contested
match in one hour and 35 minutes.
In the opening set, Granollers and Davydenko held their serve in the first ten games to level the score at 5-5. The Spaniard broke his opponent in the 11th game and held his serve in the next game to seal the set 7-5.
Granollers fired 73 percent of the first serves in the opening set, bagging 79 percent of the points on them. While, Davydenko had a better first serve percentage as he delivered 77 percent of the first serves and converted 63
percent of them into points in the first set. Granollers won 37 percent of his first return points and converted one of the four break points he received in the opening set.
After claiming a tight first set, Granollers never looked back and thrashed Davydenko in the second set. The Spaniard broke the Russian twice, dropping just two games to clinch the set 6-2.
The right-handed hit a single ace and 59 percent of the first serves, winning 69 percent of the points on them in the second set. In comparison, Davydenko kept his first serve percentage at 74 percent and bagged 65 percent of the
points on his first serves in the second set. The Russian failed to save two of the four break points he faced in the second set.
Granollers is playing at the Mutua Madrid Open for the fourth time. The Spaniard was beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(5) in the round of 32 in 2008. The 25-year-old suffered a three set loss at the hands
of Croatian Marin Cilic 2-6, 7-6(4), 1-6 in the first round in 2009. The Spaniard could not go past the opening round again in 2010, losing to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in straight sets 4-6, 4-6.
On the other hand, Davydenko appeared at this event for the sixth time. The Russian was defeated by Jan-Michael Gambill in straight sets 3-6, 3-6 in the first round, when he featured here for the first time in 2003.
Granollers will play world number 7 Tomas Berdych of Sweden in the second round. The Swede, seeded seventh at the event, received a bye in the first round.
This will be the second meeting between Granollers and Berdych. In their only previous meeting, the Czech downed Granollers in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 64 at the Internazionali BNL d’italia last year.
Tags: