Matthew Ebden hits back to outshine Peter Polansky in opening round – Rogers Cup 2012
Australian lucky loser, Matthew Ebden, made an epic comeback from a set down to overpower the local wildcard entrant, Peter Polansky, in three sets at the Rogers Cup 2012 on Monday. He summed up a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory against the world number 157 to charge
into the second round at the Rexall Centre in Toronto, Canada.
The South African-born Ebden made a drastic start at this outdoor hard court tournament. However, he lifted his game after that and ultimately carved out the victory in one hour and 51 minutes. As a result, the Aussie assertively entered the second round
where 11th seeded Mardy Fish awaits.
The world number 157 thundered into this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Masters 1000 event. He blasted powerful groundstrokes to reel off the opening six games in a row, eventually pulling out the opener with a bagel. Polansky was never
threatened with any barrier and converted half of the six break chances to his advantage.
Ebden re-structured his strategy in the following set and got the coveted break in the second game to jump to a 3-0 lead. He exchanged two serve breaks in the last four games and ultimately sealed the equaliser by winning six games to four.
Ranked 80th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Ebden kept momentum rolling in the final set which counted the most. He earned the critical break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Despite losing his serve in the very next
game, the Aussie got the breakthrough in the sixth game and clinched the decider with a 6-3 score line.
The 24-year-old Aussie will square off against Fish, who received a first round bye after being a seeded player at this event, in the round of 32.
The Serbian star, Viktor Troicki, will join Ebden in the following round. He jolted down a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory against the Russian veteran, Alex Bogomolov in one hour and 49 minutes. The 26-year-old struck 16 aces and capitalised on four out of 10 break
chances, eventually sealing the victory in their fourth match-up.
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