Mikhail Youzhny rallies past Thomaz Bellucci into second round – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, ranked 34th in the world, survived the second set scare to oust Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome on Sunday.
Youzhny dominated the first set from its beginning, breaking Bellucci in the second game and holding his following serve to build a 3-0 lead. The Russian struck once again in the eighth to close it 6-2.
The Moscow, Russia resident fired a couple of aces and 80 percent of the first serves in the opener. He had an extraordinary conversion rate, pocketing 12 of the 16 first and all the four second delivery points. Youzhny replied
aggressively to his opponent’s first serves, as he grabbed six of the 10 points on them.
Bellucci raised the level of his game in the second set and looked like a different player, hitting blows in the first and third game, capitalising on them to race to a 4-0 lead. Youzhny got one back in the sixth, reducing the
trail to 2-4 but got broken again in the ninth to lose 3-6.
Ranked 67th in the world, Bellucci smacked a single ace and 71 percent of the first serves. The Brazilian converted nine of the 15 first and three of the six second delivery points. The left-hander failed to save the
only break point he faced but compensated by converting three of the four he received in the second set.
Bellucci was looking to finish the contest quickly, as he bagged opening two games of the decider to take a 2-0 advantage. Though, the Russian changed his strategy at that moment and started to play aggressively, hitting back immediately
and levelling the score at 2-2. The Brazilian could not respond well to Youzhny’s attacking style, losing his serve again in the seventh and ninth game to go down 3-6.
The Russian banged in two aces and kept his first serve percentage at 61, winning 11 of the 14 points on them. The 6ft tall could not do well on the second deliveries, as he lost six of the nine points. However, the right-hander
balanced that by sealing 10 of the 16 second return points. Youzhny availed one of the two break chances he created in the final set. He took two hours to win a tough match.
Youzhny will play 10th seed, Juan Martin Del Potro, or Michael Llodra of France in the round of 32.
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