Paolo Lorenzi upsets Nikolay Davydenko in the first round – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
World number 96, Paolo Lorenzi of Italy, took advantage of the home ground, as he stunned former world number three, Nikolay Davydenko, in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the opening round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome
on Sunday.
Receiving a wildcard entry into the main round, The Italian required two hours and six minutes to overpower his currently 48th ranked opponent.
Davydenko was first to attain lead, as he broke the Italian in the very first game of the match and held his following serve to move ahead 2-0. However, Lorenzi bounced back immediately to even out the score at 2-2. The Italian
hit another blow in the eighth and consolidated on it to win 6-3.
Lorenzi served at par, as he did not hit any ace and committed one double fault. The Italian kept his first serve percentage at 56, converting 11 of the 15 of them into points. He did incredibly well on the second returns, as he
captured eight of the 10 points on them.
Both players held their serve in the first five games of the second set to take the score to 3-2 in Davydenko’s favour. The Russian claimed breakthroughs in the sixth and eighth, capitalising on both of them to seal it 6-2.
Davydenko neither hit an ace nor committed any double fault in the second set. The Russian banged in 85 percent of the first deliveries and pocketed 14 of the 22 points on them. The right-hander was flawless on the second serves,
as he did not lose even a single point on them, clinching all of the four. The Russian evaded all the three break threats he faced and availed two of the three chances he received.
Lorenzi did not take much time to take lead in the final set, snatching a break in the very first game and holding his next serve to go up 2-0. Serving to stay in the match at 3-5, Davydenko succumbed under pressure, as he could
not win even a single point and lost 3-6.
Lorenzi succeeded in delivering just 35 percent of the first serves but his conversion rate was amazing, as he won eight of the nine points on them. The Italian responded well to Davydenko’s first serves, snatching 11 of the 23
points.
The 30-year-old is drawn to meet either Jurgen Melzer of Austria or 16th seed, Richard Gasquet, in the in the second round.
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