Marcel Granollers triumphs over Jan Hajek in opening round – Valencia Open 2012
Defending champion, Marcel Granollers, got the better of the Czech contender, Jan Hajek, in straight sets at the Valencia Open 2012 on Wednesday. He nudged up a 7-5, 6-4 victory against the world number 113 to progress into the second round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 Series event held in Valencia, Spain.
The Spanish star stayed on track to defend his title after overpowering Hajek in their first encounter. After ruling the match in one hour and 50 minutes, Granollers took lead in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the 29-year-old and advanced into the round of 16 at this indoor hard court event.
Granollers made a drastic entry at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències. He suffered the first blow in the opening game and fell at 0-2. However, he not only recovered in the fourth game but held his composure to swipe his remaining serves with poise. The Spaniard got the breakthrough in the last game and clicked the opener with a 7-5 win. He dusted away three out of four breakpoints he came across and availed two out of seven break chances to inch towards his goal.
Ranked 25th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Granollers lost his path again towards the following set. He endured the initial blow in the opening game and trailed at 0-1. Despite going on a four-game killing spree, the Spaniard lost his edge in the seventh game, eventually levelling the scores at 4-4. However, he remained focused and got the breakthrough in the last game, consequently clicking the set with a 6-4 success. He failed to block both breakpoints he came across and converted three out of five break chances to his advantage.
The 26-year-old will face off Gilles Simon from France. The Frenchman recorded a 5-4 retirement victory against third seeded Janko Tipsarevic to set up this meeting.
The Luxembourgian star, Gilles Muller, also earned the glory late that day. He upset the eighth seed, Milos Raonic, in straight sets to advance. Muller fired eight aces and ruled throughout the battle, eventually sealing the deal with a 7-5, 7-6(1) score line.
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