Michael Berrer, Ilija Bozoljac move into the second round – AEGON Championships 2011
Michael Berrer defeats Ryan Harrison 7-6(7), 2-6, 7-5
Germany’s Michael Berrer, ranked 79th in the world, survived the second set bashing to rally past American Ryan Harrison, ranked 122nd in the world, in three sets 7-6(7), 2-6, 7-5 in the round of 64 at AEGON
Championships in Queen’s Club, London on Monday. It took the German two hours and 22 minutes to win the marathon match.
Berrer and Harrison failed to break each other’s serve in the first set, equalising the score at 6-6 and taking the set to a tie-break. The tie-break went with serve in the first fourteen points to level the score at 7-7. Finally,
it was Berrer who broke the ice, claiming a mini-break and winning the tie-break 9-7.
Harrison came roaring in the second set, breaking Berrer in the first and third game to blaze forward to a 4-0 lead. The American served out the set at 5-2. The 19-year-old had a low first serve percentage as he delivered just
50 percent of the first serves in the opening set. However, he was impressive with the conversion rate, converting 90 percent of the first serves into points.
The deciding set went with serve in the first ten games to level the score at 5-5 and force a tie-break. Serving to stay in the set at 5-6, Harrison’s serve was broken and the American lost the third set 5-7. Berrer claimed the
only break points he received in the final set.
The six feet and four inches tall will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the second round.
Ilija Bozoljac beats Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-4
Serbian Ilija Bozoljac, ranked 200th in the world, upset world number 58 Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round. The match lasted for an hour and ten minutes.
Bozoljac broke the Kazakh in the ninth game of the first set and served out the set in the next game, winning it 6-4. The Serbian hit six aces and delivered 59 percent of the first serves, converting an amazing 88 percent of them
into points in the opening set. The 25-year-old won 31 percent of the first return points and capitalised on one of the three break point opportunities he created on Kukushkin’s serve in the first set.
The Serbian broke his opponent in the opening game of the second set and did not allow the Kazakh to break back, sealing the set 6-4. The six feet and four inches tall fired four aces and won 86 percent of the second service points
in the second set. Bozoljac converted the only break point he received in the second set.
The right-handed will face either Illya Marchenko of Ukraine or David Nalbandian of Argentina in the second round.
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