Mischa Zverev strains pass Dudi Sela in the first round of the Serbia Open
World number 99, Mischa Zverev of Germany toiled long and hard before overcoming Dudi Sela of Israel in the opening round of the Serbia Open on Monday. An ATP 250 event, it is being played at the Tennis Center Novak complex in
Belgrade, Serbia. The ‘special exempt’ from Germany needed three sets to defeat Sela 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, in two hours and forty five minutes to advance to the next round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour tournament.
23-year-old Zverev avenged his defeat against Sela, when the latter defeated him at Poertschach in 2008. Apart from a slump in the second set, the German was quite brilliant in the game. Having a quick start to the game and bagging
the opener in the tie breaker round, Zverev bestowed the next set to the Israeli. He turned the tables on Sela in the decisive set and registered his second win of the running ATP season.
The opener took off with aggression from the two contestants. Zverev was the first one to strike a serve break in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and started pushing his opponent on his back foot. The German secured 17 of 23 first
serve points in the opening set and constructed two break opportunities, converting just one of them to his advantage.
The 26-year-old Israeli veteran finally got his impact upon the game by pinching break point in the ninth game to disturb the winning momentum of Zverev and then held his serve to take the score to 6-6. A tie breaker round was
enforced and Sela failed to hold his nerve in the pressure situation, submitting the opener to the German at 6-7(4).
Sela uplifted his game significantly in the next set, launching a series of attacking moves on his opponent. Two double faults were conceded by Sela but he stung three serve breaks in contrast to two break points by Zverev. The
Israeli eventually won the second set at 6-3 to bring the contest on even terms.
Another momentum swing took place in the final set of the game, with Zverev getting the better of his opponent. The German displayed his magnificent tennis skills to clout two serve breaks and sealed the contest at 6-3, stepping
into the second round of the Serbia Open.
Zverev will be facing the seventh seed home favourite, Janko Tipsarevic in the second round at Belgrade. Tipsarevic was successful against the Japan’s number one, Kei Nishikori in a three-set thriller in the first round of the
tournament.
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