Matteo Viola dumps Taro Daniel in the semi-finals – KEIO Challenger 2012
Seeded fourth in the draw, Matteo Viola of Italy thrashed Japan’s Taro Daniel in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the KEIO Challenger in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday. The Italian player needed just an hour and 13 minutes
to topple his local rival.
Viola was unstoppable in the first set, as he hit three blows to the Japanese player, grabbing six games in a row to seal it 6-0.
The Italian contender smashed a single ace and 63 percent of the first serves, converting eight of the 12 of them into points. The 6ft 2in tall put up a good show on the second deliveries, as he claimed five of the seven points
on them and did not commit any double fault. The 25-year-old inflicted most of the damage to Daniel with the help of aggressive returns, pocketing 11 of the 18 first and six of the eight second reply points in the opener.
Unlike the first set, second one saw a close competition between Viola and Daniel. The Italian player and his Japanese opponent did not lose their serve in the first three games to take the score to 2-1 in the former’s favour.
Viola strengthened his grip on the contest, as he hit a blow to Daniel in the fourth and held his following serve to build a 4-1 lead. Afterwards, the Japanese participant bounced back, claiming three games consecutively to even out the proceedings at 4-4.
However, Daniel wasted his entire effort, losing the following two and throwing away the second set 4-6.
Viola neither hit an ace nor committed any double fault in the second set. The Italian national kept his first serve percentage at 56 and secured 10 of the 19 points on them. The right-hander continued to impress with his remarkable
second deliveries and returns, as he captured 12 of the 15 and eight of the 13 points on them respectively. Viola capitalised on two of the five break opportunities he created in the second set.
The Italian participant will lock horns with the unseeded player from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mirza Basic, in the final.
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