Paul-Henri Mathieu crushes Rajeev Ram to enter first round – Western and Southern Open 2012
Former world number 12, Paul-Henri Mathieu of France bulldozed the local wild card recipient, Rajeev Ram, with a breadstick at the Western and Southern Open 2012 on Sunday. He juggled up a 6-1, 7-6(3) victory against the American to breeze into the main draw at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, United States.
The French veteran recreated his magic to stomp over Ram after warding off late resilience in their first encounter. After earning the fame in one hour and 29 minutes, Mathieu charged into the first round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event taking place in Mason.
The 30-year-old brought his experience into handy at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event. He blasted powerful groundstrokes to reel off the opening five games before Ram could come on the score sheet. Mathieu plucked his serve once more and eventually bagged the opener with a breadstick. He was never threatened with any barrier and converted two out of three break chances to his advantage.
Currently ranked 132nd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Mathieu carried his winning ways in the follow-up set and after getting the coveted break in the third game, he jumped to a 3-1 lead. Despite levelling the scores in the sixth game, the French maintained consistency in his game and took the set to a tie-breaker. He dominated in it and subsequently clicked the set with a 7-6(3) success.
Mathieu withstood 12 aces to outshine his opponent at this outdoor hard court tournament. He also jolted down an equal first serve share of 53 per cent and brilliantly clinched 26 out of 33 points on it.
The French veteran will square off against the Swiss star, Stanislas Wawrinka, in the opening round.
The Croatian contender, Ivan Dodig, will accompany Mathieu in the main draw. He nudged up a 6-2, 6-2 victory against the Belgian star, David Goffin, in one hour and 18 minutes. The Zagreb resident was broken once but cashed in half of the 10 break chances to rule the match. He also fired 10 aces and finished the match with 66 points.
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