Pat Cash defeats Richard Krajicek in opening match – AEGON Masters Tennis 2011
A former world number four, Pat Cash of Australia bounced back to earn a three setter victory over the Dutch Richard Krajicek at the AEGON Masters Tennis 2011, an ATP Champions Tour event held in the year end on the hard courts
in London, England. He registered a 6-7, 6-4, 10-6 success over the 39-year-old Dutch in the first round robin match on Wednesday.
The 2000 titlist Cash put up a solid display of tennis to make an epic comeback from a set to earn a three setter victory over his fellow Wimbledon champion Krajicek.
The Dutchman made quick in-roads at the Royal Albert Hall . He kept entire serves after defending all breakpoints faced but failed to cash in on any breakpoint opportunity, dragging the set to a tie-breaker. Krajicek prevailed
in it to clinch the set with a 7-6 win.
Cash re-kindled his old spark in the second set and quickly swiped in entire serves. He broke the Dutchman’s serve once to seal the equaliser by winning six games to four. The Aussie brushed off all breakpoints came across and
capitalised on one out of many breakpoint opportunities to his advantage.
The match went to the Champions’ Tie Break where the high spirited Aussie outclassed Krajicek completely. He dominated throughout the decider and eventually bagged it with a 10-6 score line.
Cash will next confront a former world number one, John McEnroe, a much awaited match of the tournament.
Krajicek, who was the only player to beat Pete Sampras in a Wimbledon Singles match during an eight year period from 1993 to 2001, on the other hand fought back hard in the match. Regardless of squandering an early lead in the
set scores, he dragged the match to a super set tie-breaker but only to see him being ousted in the end.
"It's much more difficult to serve and volley now because you play on different surfaces, and the game has changed," the legendary Dutchman said. "It's always nice to see different styles of play but I can't think of too many serve
and volley players at the moment, apart from the likes of Michael Llodra and Mardy Fish."
A former world number eight, Krajicek will next square off against Frenchman Henri Leconte who fills the final spot of the four-man legend’s tournament.
In another match, Thomas Enqvist stunned the defending champion Goran Ivanisevic. He also bounced back to register a 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 victory in under two hours.
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