Mischa Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff win final qualifying round – Eckental Challenger 2011
The final round matches of the men’s qualifying stage for 2011 Eckental Challenger continued on October 31, 2011 in Eckental, Germany. Mischa Zverev (Germany) faced compatriot Stefan Seifert. 24-year old Zverev won the match 7-6(1),
6-7 (4), 6-4.
The match was not only an action-packed one as two sets went into a tiebreaker, but also because spectators were enthralled to witness two German players fighting for a place in the main round of the tournament on home soil.
World number 275, Zverev, scored fourteen aces with just one double fault in the match as he dominated his fellow citizen from the start. In the first set, Zverev and Seifert did not get an opportunity to save any breakpoints,
which meant no one wanted to loose on their own service.
The first set went into a tiebreaker, which Zverev won. In the second set, however, world number 331, Seifert made a decent comeback. He did not score as much aces as Zverev but he was almost equal to his opponent in terms of winning
points on first serves.
The second set was an evenly contested match as Zverev saved 89% of his breakpoints while Seifert managed to save 83% of his breakpoints. In the third set, the deciding set of the match, Zverev dominated with his flawless run with
the racquet. He scored four aces while his opponent could deliver none. He was also playing cautiously as he did not concede any double faults in the third set either.
Seifert, on the other hand, conceded double faults twice during the match and had a 50% first serve winning percent, only five percent less than Zverev. Seifert managed to win four games in the third set but Zverev saved his breakpoint
that increased his lead during the set.
Throughout the match, Zverev saved nine out of his ten breakpoints while his opponent could save only five out of his seven breakpoints. Seifert did prove to be a worthy opponent, but Zverev won the match as he maintained his decent
run with the shots and showed consistency in scoring points in all the three sets.
Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) played the other qualifying match in the final round on October 31, 2011. The German won the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
The 238th ranked Struff maintained his lead the moment the match began. Herbert, ranked at 305th in the world, scored eight aces, three higher than Struff, but his five double faults reduced his momentum into
the game.
Struff conceded only one double fault and saved the breakpoint he had. On the other hand, Herbert could save only two of his five breakpoints, another factor which did not let him secure a lead against the German.
The German was not playing misdirected shots while keeping a close eye on his unforced errors and double faults, which gave him a consistent lead to win the match.
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