Mirza Basic gets rid of Harri Heliovaara in quarterfinal – Knoxville Challenger 2011
Bosnian qualifier Mirza Basic outshone Finnish Harri Heliovaara in the quarterfinal of the Knoxville Challenger 2011.
The two combated against each other on indoor hard courts of the University of Tennessee’s Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. After one hour and fifteen minutes the Bosnian qualifier routed Finnish Heliovaara in straight sets of 6-3, 6-4 on Friday the 11th of November 2011.
Although both the sets were dominated by Basic, he found a little difficulty in closing out the second set. Nevertheless, Basic had managed to hit 67 percent of his first serves on target and accomplished 83 percent of his second service points won, overall in the match.
Moreover, his defence was as strong as an ox and he did not setup a single breakpoint opportunity for his adversary in the entire match! With a geometric precision, he did not commit any double faults and managed to smash an ace in the opening set.
The opening round of the match was inaugurated by Basic and both the players managed to hold their respective serves and eased themselves on the scoreboard at 1-1. As the two once more bagged a service game each, the score tied at two games each at the end of the fourth game.
The players matched a blow for a blow and the score once more tied at three games each by the end of the sixth game. However, Basic cut the goose chase by bring on his A-game and he utilized the serve-break-serve method to bag the opening round with a 6-3 victory and went one up in the match.
This time the second set of the match was initiated by Heliovaara and once more each player had bagged a game each by the end of the first two games. However, it was in the third game that Heliovaara had double faulted on his serve and endorsed the only, most pivotal breakpoint of the set.
On the other hand, Basic had capitalized on the break and then held his serve to reel of two successive games and take a mini lead of 3-1 at the end of the fourth game.
In the following four games neither player slipped, erred, or double faulted and both kept bagging their respective serves but at the end of the eighth game the score had shifted to 5-3 with Basic leading the game. He was now only a game away from securing the set and as he served for the last time, he bagged the second set and secured his victory of the match.
Next up for Basic is American Jesse Levine in the semi final of the tournament.
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