Mikhail Youzhny triumphs over Robin Haase to reach round three – Roland Garros 2012
Seeded 27th in this red clay tournament, Mikhail Youzhny, got the better of the Dutch number one, Robin Haase, in straight sets at the French Open 2012 on Thursday. He summed up a 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory against the world number 39 to book a
place in the round of 32 at this major clay court event held in Paris, France.
The Russian veteran stayed solid throughout the match to advance into the round of 32 at the Court number five. The players last fought each other at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam five years ago and after earning this success, Youzhny
not only improved to a 2-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series against the Dutch but inched closer towards his first Grand Slam title.
Youzhny stormed into the French clay courts and after breaking his rival’s serve twice, he leaped to a 5-1 lead. Despite squandering his chances of serving out the set with a breadstick, the Russian held his serve once more and clinched the opener with a
6-3 score line.
Ranked 30th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Youzhny carried his winning ways towards the second set and earned the coveted break in the opening game to take the initial lead. Regardless of losing his serve in the very next
game, the Russian stayed focused and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. He edged past the Dutch in it and clicked the set with a 7-6(5) win.
The 29-year-old kept momentum rolling into the third set and jumped to a 2-0 lead with an early break of serve. In spite of losing his serve in the very next game, Youzhny swiped in his remaining serves and got the breakthrough in the last game, ultimately
pocketing the set with a 6-4 success.
All in all, the in-form Russian manipulated a slightly lower first serve share of 62 per cent as compared to his rival’s 63 per cent and brilliantly marked 47 out of 63 points on it.
Youzhny will next face the sixth seed, David Ferrer, who tumbled over the local contender, Benoit Paire, in straight sets to set up this battle.
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