Nicolas Mahut downs Vasek Pospisil in the first round – BNP Paribas Open 2012
World number 93, Nicolas Mahut of France, eased past qualifier Vasek Pospisil in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Thursday.
Mahut is famous for his encounter against American John Isner at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. That is the longest match in the history of tennis both by total number of games and time. Although, the French lost the match in
five sets 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 68-70 but its duration if 11 hours, five minutes and an aggregate of 183 games put both players in the record books.
The 30-year-old was lucky that his first round match against Pospisil did not last that long and he achieved a convincing win.
Mahut had a chance for snatching an early break but he lost a chance in the fourth game to level the score at 2-2. The Frenchman won four straight points on his next serve to go up 3-2 and struck a blow in the next game to stretch
his lead to 4-2. Mahut capitalised on the only break and served out the set at 5-3.
The French gave a satisfactory performance on his serves, hitting 61 percent of the first serves and winning 14 of the 19 points on them. The right-hander did not give his opponent any break opportunity and grabbed one of the four
of his own in the opener.
Mahut hit an early blow in the second set, claiming the first two games to move ahead 2-0. The French broke again in the fifth and held his next serve to build a 5-1 lead. The 6ft 3in tall closed out the set in the eighth game,
winning it 6-2.
The Angers, France born returned extremely well, clinching 18 of the 36 points on them in the second set. Mahut, who usually hits a high number of aces, fired only one ace in the entire match.
The Frenchman ousted Pospisil in only an hour and 27 minutes and eased into the next round.
Mahut will play 22nd seed, Juan Monaco of Argentina, in the second round.
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