Michal Mertinak overcomes Filip Veger in the second qualifier – Slovak Open 2012 CH
Slovakian wild card entrant, Michal Mertinak, is just one match short of qualifying for the main draw, as he defeated Filip Veger of Croatia in three sets 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in the second round of the qualifying stage at the Slovak
Open in Bratislava.
First two games went with serve but Mertinak nailed a break in the third and then consolidated on it to grab a 3-1 lead. The Slovakian national struck again in the seventh and made the most of his double advantage to win 6-2.
Mertinak hit three aces and made one double fault in the first set. The local player had a decent first serve percentage of 71 and claimed 13 of the 15 points on them. The 33-year-old was flawless on the second returns, as he did
not lose even a single point on them, winning all five.
Veger was in no mood to go down without a fight, breaking the Slovakian in the fourth game of the second set and holding his following serve to take a 4-1 lead. The Croatian player hit another blow to Mertinak in the eighth to
win 6-2.
The 17-year-old neither fired any ace nor committed any double fault in the second set. His first serve percentage was very good at 76 and he secured 12 of the 16 points on them. The Croatian contender was almost perfect on the
second deliveries and returns, as he claimed four of the five and six of the seven points on them respectively.
After badly losing the second set, Mertinak changed his strategy and started to play aggressively in the decider. It worked for the Slovakian, as he broke Veger in the first and third game to race to a 4-0 lead. The Croatian opened
his account by winning his following serve but lost the next two games to go down 1-6.
Mertinak banged in a couple of aces and did not make any double fault, maintaining a first serve percentage of 54. The Slovakian participant’s conversion rate was again superb, as he grabbed six of the seven first and all six second
delivery points. The 5ft 11in tall availed three of the seven break chances he created in the final set.
The right-hander needed one hour and 27 minutes to undo his opponent in a tough encounter.
Mertinak is slated to face Mikhail Elgin of Russia in the final match of the qualifying draw.
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