Pavol Cervenak battles past Josselin Ouanna into the main draw – Mercedes Cup 2012
World number 206, Pavol Cervenak of Slovakia, bounced back after losing the first set to down the 184th ranked, Josselin Ouanna, in the final qualifier on Monday.
The Slovakian defeated his French opponent in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) in two hours and 14 minutes.
Cervenak and Ouanna exchanged an early blow, breaking each other once in the first four games to take the score to 2-2. The French contender struck again in the 10th to win 6-4.
Ouanna banged in two aces and 59 percent of the first serves, securing 12 of the 17 points on them in the opening set. The 6ft 4in tall also performed above par on the second deliveries and returns, as he bagged six of the 12 and five of the eight points on them respectively. The Coppet, Switzerland resident avoided one of the two break threats he came across and utilised two of the three he created.
Cervenak delivered a blow to the Frenchman in the very first game of the second set but Ouanna hit back immediately to even it out at 1-1. The Slovakian snatched a break again in the third and this time he capitalised on it to gain a 4-2 advantage. Cervenak maintained his lead till the end, serving it out at 5-4.
The 25-year-old hit a single ace and made the same number of double fault in the second set. The right-hander, Cervenak, won most of the points on his first serves, grabbing 16 of the 18. However, he did not fare well on the second ones, as he lost eight of the 11 points on them. The Slovakian compensated that by giving a remarkably well performance on the second returns, converting seven of the 11 of them into points.
Cervenak and Ouanna put on a stunning serving display in the final set, as they did not allow each other to claim a breakthrough till the end, equalising the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. None of the two players was willing to give other the slightest of advantage, going neck to neck till 7-7. Though, Cervenak succeeded in winning two consecutive points in the end and sealing it 7-6(7).
The Cologne, Germany resident bombarded four aces and 80 percent of the first serves on Ouanna, pocketing 26 of the 35 points on them.
The Slovakian player will face Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky in the first round of the main draw.
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