Olivier Rochus ousts Nicolas Mahut in the second round – Hall of Fame Championships 2011
World number 74 Olivier Rochus of Belgium dashed hopes of a Isner-Mahut re-match in the final as he knocked out world number 95 Nicolas Mahut of France in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(3) in the second round at the Campbell’s Hall of
Fame Tennis Championships in Newport on Wednesday. The Belgian took an hour and 57 minutes to beat his opponent.
Mahut was first to take lead as he broke Rochus in the second game to go ahead 2-0. Rochus broke back immediately and held his next service game, equalising the score at 2-2. The Belgian broke again in the seventh game and consolidated
on it to win the set 6-4.
Rochus did not serve very well as he failed to deliver any ace and hit a couple of double faults in the first set. The Belgian smacked 56 percent of the first serves and grabbed 59 percent of the points on them. On the other hand,
Mahut won 76 percent of the first service points. The French converted a whopping 41 percent of the first returns into points in the opening set. However, the 29-year-old failed to capitalise on ten of the eleven break point opportunities he created on Rochus’
serve and could not save two of the three break points on his own serve in the first set.
In a similar fashion to the first set, Mahut drew the first blood as he broke Rochus in the fourth game and consolidated on it to take a 4-1 lead. However, Rochus made a comeback and grabbed four of the next five games to square
off the score at 5-5. Rochus and Mahut held their serve in the next two games to take the set to a tie-break. Rochus raised the level of his game in the tie-break, sealing it 7-3.
The Belgian claimed 72 percent of the first service and 35 percent of the first return points in the second set. The right-handed saved six of the seven break points he faced and converted the only break point he received in the
second set.
After the match, Rochus said, “It was very hard and the conditions were tough; it was pretty warm out there. Nicolas is a great grass-court player. He reached the final here and almost won Queen’s a few years ago. To beat a guy
like Nicolas on grass is a very good win.”
The five feet and six inches tall added, “To be in the quarter-finals again is fantastic. I’m really enjoying here. I hope it can keep going this way.”
Rochus is drawn to play world number 157 Matthew Ebden of Australia in the quarterfinals.
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