Marin Cilic ousts Lukasz Kubot to enter round two – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012
Seeded 10th in this event, Marin Cilic form Croatia, tumbled the Polish contender, Lukasz Kubot, in straight sets at the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012 on Monday. He juggled up a 7-5, 6-3 victory against the world number 72 to power into the second
round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event held in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.
The Croatian top ranked star, Cilic needed one hour and 33 minutes to outrun Kubot in their third encounter. As a result, the Croat not only improved to a 3-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against the 30-year-old but also secured a place in
the round of 32 at this outdoor hard court event.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina-born Cilic made a convincing entry at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. He drew the first blood in the fifth game and jumped to a 4-2 lead. Despite levelling the scores in the 10th game, the Croat broke his rival’s
serve again and eventually sealed the opener by winning seven games to five. He failed to ward off the lone breakpoint he faced but availed two out of seven break chances to prevail.
Ranked 16th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Cilic maintained his intensity in the following set. He got the coveted break in the opening game and took the initial lead. The Croat then held his entire serves with conviction
and cashed another break chance in the last game, eventually clicking the set with a 6-3 win. He blocked both breakpoints he faced to keep his entire serves and capitalised on both break opportunities to earn the fame.
Cilic will face off the Slovakian star, Martin Klizan, in the following round. Klizan dumped the Brazilian contender, Thomaz Bellucci, in straight sets to progress.
The former world number five, Tommy Robredo from Spain, will accompany Klizan in the proceeding round. He cashed in both break chances to formulate a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory against Russia’s Alex Bogomolov Jr. The Spanish veteran required one hour and 34 minutes
to overpower Bogomolov and set up a date with Tommy Haas.
Tags: