Nikola Mektic stuns Kevin Krawietz in the second round qualies – BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy 2012
Number eight seed in the qualifying draw, Germany’s Kevin Krawietz had a shocker at the hands of the unseeded Croatian, Nikola Mektic, in the second round on Sunday. The 23-year-old Croat registered a 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-3, victory
over the hot favourite German contender to reach the qualifying competition of the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy.
The eighth seed German went through three gruelling sets before submitting to the underdog opponent in a dismal fashion. Mektic posed some serious resistance in the opening set and eventually bagged it in the tie-breaker round
to get one up early in the match. A thumping comeback from Krawietz in the following set brought the score line back to even terms, with both players having one set apiece under his belt. It was anticipated that the German will turn the tables on his lower-ranked
opponent but it went completely the other way round. Mektic raced through the games in the final set and outsmarted the eighth seed German to register his emphatic victory in style.
Mektic belted just 59 per cent of his first serve on target, pocketing 51 out of 77 points on it and firing three thudding aces in the match. He had 14 break opportunities in the contest but only four conversions proved sufficient
for him to take the better of his opponent. On the other hand, Krawietz had 17 break chances in the match but he could merely cash in three of them to finish on the losing side.
Krawietz kept frittering away priceless opportunities in the competition and had to pay for it in the end. He coughed seven doubles faults at the most crucial moments of the match, gifting some un-fought points to his opponent.
A total of 253 points were played in the match, with Mektic winning 132 and Krawietz closely following him with 121 points to end his voyage at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy.
Mektic will have to go through the third seeded Estonian contender, Jurgen Zopp, in the next match to earn a berth in the main rounds of the tournament. Zopp won his second round battle against Razvan Sabau of Romania on Sunday.
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