Michael Llodra dismisses Nikolay Davydenko in first round of Rotterdam Open
2008 titlist Michael Llodra kicked off the 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam with a win on Monday. Llodra dismissed the world number 28, veteran Nikolay Davydenko in an attempt to recapture his title here. In its
38th edition, the indoor hard-court tournament is the first Association of Tennis Professionals 500 level tournament of the season. Currently underway at the Ahoy Rotterdam indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the event will be played
from 7 February through 13 February.
In his fifth appearance at the event, Llodra is a novice at the Rotterdam Open as compared to Davydenko, as this is the Russian’s eighth straight year at the event since his debut here in 2004. However, the Russian has failed to
make it past the semi-final round while Llodra won the title in his debut run.
Playing for the seventh time on the court, Llodra extended his winning streak over the Russian to three matches as he lead the previously tied head-to-head score on hard courts to 3-2.
In a match that lasted 95 minutes, Llodra was able to secure a straight sets win over Davydenko despite the latter putting up some resistance in the second set.
In the opening set, Llodra registered an acceptable first serve percentage of 62 per cent as compared to Davydenko’s 64 per cent. However, he recorded an impressive 83 per cent winning percentage on it. The Frenchman lost only
seven of 29 points on service and successfully converted one of two break point opportunities to secure a 6-3 win for himself in the first set.
After enjoying a 1-0 lead in the set score, Llodra expected smooth sailing towards his victory. However, the former world number three had other plans. Davydenko refused to bow down as he put up a gruelling fight. With neither
player being able to convert the break point opportunities and winning points only on their serves, the match was soon pushed into a tiebreaker. The hard-hitting world number 22 rushed to an early 4-1 lead, though Davydenko held the French at four points as
he levelled the score at 4-4. After managing a lucky break on the ninth point, Llodra managed to win three successive points for himself thus winning the tiebreaker 7-4.
Llodra was able to extend his winning streak over the world number 34, Davydenko after fighting off the late resistance from the Russian. France’s Llodra hit a total of 12 aces and lost only 20 of 70 points on service to ensure
his survival at the event. Llodra will next play qualifier Grigor Dimitrov or compatriot, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he keeps his hopes of a title recapture alive.
Tags: