Potito Starace stuns Juan Ignacio Chela to advance into last eight – Studena Croatia Open 2011
Italian Potito Starace required a third set to upset the top seeded Argentinean Juan Ignacio Chela at the Studena Croatia Open 2011, a clay court tournament held in Umag, Croatia. He registered a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory over the
31-year-old Chela to advance into the quarter-finals on Thursday.
World number 54, Starace last duel the Argentinean, ranked 33 places above him, in this event’s semi-final last year. He overpowered Chela in a three set thriller last year and continued his ways in his seventh meeting in this
$570,000 event to not only secure a final eight spot but also took lead in the head-to-head series by 4-3 against the Argentinean.
A finalist here last year, Starace made quick in-roads to bag the opener with a 6-4 win by breaking Chela’s serve twice. He capitalised on the many unforced errors and three double faults the Argentinean committed and besides this,
the Italian clobbered a higher first serve share of 78 percent as compared to Chela’s 66 percent. He also registered a fabulous 68 percent win on it and saved one out of two breakpoints faced. Starace founded six breakpoint opportunities and the two he converted
to his advantage led him to glory.
The highest ranked player of the tournament, Chela put his nose in front to pull out the equaliser with a 6-4 score line as well. He required only a single breakpoint opportunity which he duly converted it to his advantage to clinch
the set. The Argentinean fended off the only breakpoint conceded and despite producing a poor first serve share of 45 percent as compared to Italian’s 78 percent, he earned a magnificent 79 percent win on it.
In the final set, both stars played their best tennis and exchanged series of two breaks to level the scores. However, the Italian converted his third breakpoint chance to his advantage in the end to pocket the decider by winning
seven games to five. Regardless of committing more double faults and a lower first serve share of 53 percent as opposed to Chela’s 69 percent, Starace registered an impressive 62 percent win on it.
Up next for the 30-year-old Italian is his countryman, sixth seed Fabio Fognini. Fognini destroyed Belgian Olivier Rochus with a breadstick to set-up a last eight clash with Starace.
The seeded Italian saved six out of eight breakpoints conceded and converted six out of eleven breakpoint chances to his advantage to seal the match with a 6-4, 6-1 victory in seventy-six minutes.
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