Philipp Kohlschreiber tops Matthew Ebden to reach round two – French Open 2012
Seeded 24th in the tournament, Philipp Kohlschreiber, stomped over the Australian contestant, Matthew Ebden, in straight sets at the French Open 2012 on Monday. He penned down a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory against the world number 76 to book a spot
in the round of 64 at this clay court Grand Slam event held in Paris.
The German seed dumped Ebden after capitalising on three out of five break chances in their first encounter. He not only edged in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against the Aussie but also advanced into the
second round.
Kohlschreiber made a strong start at court number four and drew the first blood in the third game to take the upper hand. Apart from failing to bock the lone breakpoint he came across in the very next game, the German remained calm and plucked his remaining
serves with poise. He got the breakthrough after cashing in his second break chance in the seventh game and clicked the opener with a 6-4 win.
Ranked 26th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Kohlschreiber kept momentum rolling into the second set. He swiftly plucked his entire serves without facing any breakpoint. The German cashed in the only break opportunity in the
fifth game and sealed the equaliser by winning six games to four.
The final set saw both challengers displayed their best tennis. Kohlschreiber hammered 18 ferocious aces too keep his entire serves. However, he failed to get the breakthrough and enforced a tie-breaker. The German edged past his opponent in it and clinched
the set with a 7-6(4) score line.
Overall, Kohlschreiber produced a lower first serve share of 67 per cent as compared to his rival’s 72 per cent but tremendously marked 46 out of 62 points on it. He also smashed 11 aces and hammered 14 winners to prevail. The German committed fewer unforced
errors and finished the match with 106 points.
Up next for the German is the Argentinean contender, Leonardo Mayer, who battled past Kohlschreiber’s compatriot, Olivier Rochus, in four sets to set up this battle.
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