Nicolas Mahut ousts Paolo Lorenzi in round two – Farmers Classic 2012
Seeded fourth in the tournament, Nicolas Mahut got the better of the Italian contender, Paolo Lorenzi, in straight sets at the Farmers Classic 2012, an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event taking place in UCLA campus in California. He juggled up a 7-5, 7-6(7) victory against the world number 91 in his opening match on Thursday.
The French star warded off two set points posed by Lorenzi in the second set to steal the show. After registering this victory in one hour and 53 minutes, Mahut not only improved to a 2-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the Italian veteran but also powered into the quarter-finals at this outdoor hard court event. The players last fought each other at the Wimbledon Championships few weeks ago where the French summed up a five-set thriller to overpower Lorenzi.
"I knew it would be a difficult match," said the 30-year-old French after pocketing the match with poise. "I just beat him in the Wimbledon first round. Breaking in the first set to win was the key. After that I got more confident. I am happy to go through."
Mahut entered this Emirates Airline US Open Series in high spirits. He ruled his serves games to stay in contention and got the breakthrough in the 11th game, eventually sealing the opener with a 7-5 win. The French blocked both breakpoints he encountered and converted one out of two break chances to his advantage.
The 66th Ranked Mahut carried his momentum in the follow-up set. He plucked his entire serves after saving the only breakpoint he faced. Despite failing to seek any break chances, the French prevailed in the tie-breaker and clinch the set with a 7-6(7) score line.
Next in queue for Mahut is the Lithuanian qualifier, Ricardas Berankis. Berankis outmuscled the Russian contender, Igor Andreev, in straight sets to set up this meeting.
The fifth seed, Xavier Malisse, will accompany the French veteran in the quarter-finals. He jolted down a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Australian youngster, Matthew Ebden, in one hour and 13 minutes to progress.
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