Michael Russell ousts Gimeno-Traver in first round – US Men’s Clay Court Tennis Championship 2012
Qualifier, Michael Russell of USA, proceeded to the round of 16, after upsetting world number 101, Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain, in three sets 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the opener at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston on Tuesday.
The American fought back from a set and break down to record this surprising win in an hour and 53 minutes.
Gimeno-Traver drew the first blood, as the Spaniard claimed a breakthrough in the very first game of the match and consolidated on it to grab a 2-0 advantage. He struck again at 4-2 and held his serve in the next game to seal it
6-2.
The Spaniard was pretty average on his serves, as he did not hit any ace and put in just 62 percent of the first deliveries, converting 10 of the 13 of them into points. Though, he damaged his opponent with fiery second returns,
winning five of the seven points on them.
Gimeno-Traver further strengthened his position, as he broke the American in the third game of the second set and held his following serve to attain a 3-1 lead. The Spaniard was almost at the finish line when he served at 5-4 but
failed to close it out, levelling the score at 5-5. Russell took advantage of this life line and grabbed next two games to capture it 7-5.
The American was unable to save the only break threat he came across in the second set but compensated by availing two of the three chances he received.
Russell had the winning momentum on his side, capitalising on it by striking in the second game of the decider to build a 2-0 lead. The American allowed Gimeno-Traver to claim only one game in the entire set, clinching it 6-1.
Ranked 136th in the world, Russell kept his first serve percentage at 75, converting 13 of the 15 them into points. The American did well on the returns too, as he grabbed eight of the 11 points on the second ones in
the decider.
Russell will lock horns with top seed, Mardy Fish, in the round of 16.
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