Nikolay Davydenko, Potito Starace move to the second round of BMW Open
Nikolay Davydenko defeats Andrey Kuznetsov 6-1, 7-6(4)
World number 40, Russian Nikolay Davydenko prevailed over his compatriot Andrey Kuznetsov, ranked 205th in the world, in straight sets 6-1, 7-6(4) in the opening round at the BMW Open in Munich on Tuesday. It took Davydenko
one hour and 28 minutes to undo his opponent.
The Russian broke Kuznetsov in the second and sixth game of the first set to win it 6-1. Davydenko hit a single ace and 55 percent of the first serves in the opening set, winning 75 percent of the points on them. The 29-year-old
won two of the four break points he received in the first set. The Russian saved all the three break points he faced in the opening set.
Davydenko and Kuznetsov broke each other once in the first 12 games of the second set, levelling the score at 6-6 to force a tie-break. Davydenko claimed a couple of mini-breaks in the tie-break, claiming it 7-4. The Russian fired
three aces and committed a single double fault in the second set. The right-handed delivered 76 percent of the first serves, winning the same percentage of points on them in the second set.
Davydenko will face qualifier Julian Reister of Germany in the second round.
Potito Starace ousts Jan Hajek 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
In another first round match, world number 43 Potito Starace of Italy came back from one set down to rally past world number 98 Jan Hajek of Czech Republic in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Starace was broken in the eighth game of the first set, losing it 3-6. Hajek delivered a couple of aces and 58 percent of the first serves in the opening set. The Czech won 76 percent of the first service points in the first set.
The 27-year-old did well to save seven of the eight break points he faced in the opening set.
In the second set, Starace needed a single break of serve to capture the set 6-4. The Italian fired three aces and committed a single double fault in the second set. The 29-year-old hit 77 percent of the first serves, winning 67
percent of the points on them in the second set.
The Italian carried the winning momentum into the final set and thrashed his opponent, winning six straight games to claim the set 6-0. Starace hit a single ace and 57 percent of the first serves in the third set, winning 75 percent
of the points on them. The right-handed won all the three break points he received in the deciding set.
Starace is slated to play Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine in the round of 16.
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