Pablo Andujar rallies past Lukas Rosol into the second round – Bet-At-Home Cup 2011
Eighth seed Pablo Andujar of Spain came back from a deficit of one set to overcome world number 69 Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round at the Bet-At-Home Cup in Kitzbuhel on Monday. The
Spaniard needed two hours and two minutes to win the marathon match.
Rosol drew the first blood as he broke the Spaniard in the fourth game of the first set and consolidated on it to grab a 3-1 lead. The Czech sustained the lead throughout the set and served it out at 5-3.
The 26-year-old fired 69 percent of the first serves and six aces in the first set. Rosol sealed nineteen of the 25 first service points and six of the eleven second service points in the opening set. The Czech won seven out of
eighteen first return points compared to just six out of 25 by his opponent. The six feet and five inches tall saved all the three break points he faced and converted one of the four break points he received on Andujar’s serve in the first set.
The Czech was looking to finish the match quickly as he broke Andujar in the third game of the second set and held his serve in the next game to take a 3-1 lead. However, the Spaniard made a great comeback as he claimed five successive
games after that, breaking Rosol in the sixth and eighth game to win the set 6-3.
The five feet and eleven inches tall kept his first serve percentage at 75 percent and delivered three aces in the second set. The 25-year-old converted sixteen of the first serves and four of the eight second serves into points
in the second set.
Andujar started strongly in the third set, breaking the Czech in the opening game and holding his next service game to take a 2-0 lead. The Spaniard broke again in the seventh game to go ahead 5-2 but he could not serve out the
set in the eighth game, getting broken to take the score to 3-5. However, Andujar broke once again in the next game and captured the set 6-3.
The Czech committed three double faults but he returned very well, winning seven of the seventeen first return points in the final set. The Valencia resident capitalised on three of the seven break point opportunities he received
on Rosol’s serve in the final set.
Andujar will face world number 74, compatriot Albert Ramos in the second round.
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