Nicolas Mahut edges past Richard Berankis in the first round – Atlanta Tennis Championships 2011
Rated at number 97 in world rankings, Nicolas Mahut of France, stood tall against the Lithuanian competitor, Richard Berankis, in the opening round of Atlanta Tennis Championships, being played at Atlanta, the United States, on
Tuesday afternoon.
Being played on the hard courts, the contest provided good entertainment for the tennis fans present at Atlanta, with the Frenchman winning in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-2, to qualify for the second round of the ATP (Association
of tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event. The game lasted for one hour and thirty three minutes, which included an exciting opening set tie breaker, followed by a straight forward second set which marked an end to Berankis’ voyage at Atlanta Tennis Championships.
Both men coughed five double faults in the contest but Mahut beat his opponent with his incredible points winning proficiency. The French had a pathetic serve precision of merely 40 per cent but he still managed to secure 14 out
of 19 first serve points in the opener, with the Lithuanian competitor also matching him by clinching 14 out of 21.
The opening set took off with an exchange of serve breaks from both men to take the scores to 3-3. The score board kept ticking on even terms until Mahut once again break into lead to 6-5, to serve for the set but a critical serve
break from Berankis kept him alive in the set.
The Lithuanian broke his opponent’s serve to level the scores at 6-6, imposing a decisive tie breaker round to bring in more excitement in the game. The decider also went on neck-to-neck, with both men clinching five points each
but again Mahut proved his superiority over the Lithuanian and nailed a mini-break to close out the opening set at 7-6(5).
Dejected Berankis lost all his steam in the following set and utterly failed to pose any serious resistance to the belligerent Frenchman. Although both contestants bagged eight first serve points each in the second set, the vital
difference was made by the two serve breaks from Mahut. The French first broke his opponent in the third game and then further extended his lead with his second break point conversion to conclude victory at 6-2 to get access to the second round of the tournament.
A huge task still lies for Mahut, as he will have to face the top seed, Mardy Fish of the United States, in the second round for a place in the quarter-finals of Atlanta Tennis Championships. Fish received a bye to get a direct
access to the second round of the tournament.
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