Nikola Ciric rallies past Alessio Di Mauro into the quarterfinals – BNP Paribas Polish Open 2011 CH
World number 177 Nikola Ciric of Serbia defeated world number 157 Alessio Di Mauro of Italy in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round at the BNP Paribas Polish Open in Sopot, Poland on Thursday. The match lasted for two hours
and 26 minutes.
Di Mauro drew the first blood, breaking the Serbian in the third game of the first set to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Italian could not consolidate on the break of serve as he was broken back immediately, squaring off the score
at 2-2. Ciric broke again in the sixth game and served out the set at 5-3.
The Serbian hit 62 percent of the first serves and two aces in the first set. Ciric returned quite well, winning six of the twelve first return points in the opening set. The unseeded capitalised on two of the three break point
chances he created and saved four of the five break points on his own serve in the first set.
The second set went with serve in the first eight games as Ciric and Di Mauro convincingly held their serve to equalise the score at 4-4. The Italian broke Ciric in the ninth game and consolidated on it to grab the set 6-4.
The left-handed kept his first serve percentage at 69 percent and grabbed 65 percent of the points on the first serve in the second set. Di Mauro failed to hit any ace in the second set. On the other hand, Ciric fired five aces
and 66 percent of the first deliveries, converting 67 percent of them into points. However, the Serbian failed to create any break point opportunity on Di Mauro’s serve and could not save one of the three break points on his own serve in the second set.
After the score getting tied at one set all, Ciric made a good start in the final set as he broke the Italian in the opening game and held his next service game to race to a 2-0 lead. The Serbian did not allow Di Mauro to break
back and maintained his lead throughout the set, clinching it 6-4.
The 27-year-old kept attacking Di Mauro’s second serve, claiming eight of the eleven second return points in the third set. Ciric succeeded in saving all the seven break points he faced and converted one of the five break points
in the deciding set.
The Serbian is drawn to face world number 140 Andreas Beck of Germany in the quarterfinals.
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