Maverick Banes hits back at Alejandro Gonzalez in the opening qualies – Brisbane International 2012
A local tennis star, Maverick Banes, bounced back to overpower the Colombian competitor, Alejandro Gonzalez, in troublesome three-setter at the Brisbane International 2012, a build-up event for the Australian Open, taking
place in Brisbane, Australia. He manipulated a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over the 22-year-old Colombian to advance into the second round of the qualifiers on Saturday.
The Aussie teenager required two hours and fifteen minutes to overwhelm the resilience posed by the Colombian on their first meeting. The youngster is bidding for his maiden ATP title after advancing in the qualifiers of
this tournament.
World number 269, Gonzalez, drew the first blood in the second game and eventually went 2-0 up. Despite losing his edge in the proceeding game, he pocketed remaining serves and broke again in the sixth game to clinch the
opener with a 6-3 score line. The 19-year-old Aussie kept his losing ways in the second set and lost his serve in the third game. However, he made a fitting reply and went on a five games rampage, sealing the equaliser by winning six games to two.
Gonzalez entered the third set with conviction and after capitalising on two breaks of serve, he went 5-1 up in no time. Regardless of losing his proceeding two serves and levelling the scores at 5-5, Banes converted another
break opportunity to his advantage in the last game and triumph the set with a 7-5 score.
Summing up Banes performance, he manifested a lower first serve share of 67 percent as compared to the Colombian’s 75 percent to take the better of him in the end. The Aussie also saved only two out of seven breakpoints he
came across but cashed in seven out of fourteen break chances.
Next challenge for the local star is the winner of the match between eighth seeded American Jesse Levine and the Serb, Nikola Ciric.
Sixth seed Jurgen Zopp will join Banes in the second round of the qualifiers. He earned a 7-5, 1-4 retirement victory over the Ukrainian, Denys Molchanov, to reach this spot. The Estonian will next face the winner of the
match between Australia’s Gavin van Peperzeel and French Emilien Firmin.
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