Radek Stepanek trounces Albert Ramos to reach round two – Western and Southern Open 2012
Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek ousted the Spanish contender, Albert Ramos, in straight sets at the Western and Southern Open 2012 on Tuesday. He notched up a 6-2, 6-2 victory against the world number 47 to secure a place in the round of 32 at the Lindner
Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio.
The Czech veteran brought his experience into handy after stomping over Ramos in their first battle against each other. After earning the fame in 62 minutes, Stepanek took lead in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series by
1-0 against the Barcelona native and charged into the second round at this Masters 1000 event.
Stepanek entered this Emirates Airline US Open series event in full confidence. He drew the first blood in the opening game to take the initial lead. Despite losing his edge in the very next game, the Czech stroke out the last five games consecutively and
sealed the opener with a 6-2 success. He failed to save the only breakpoint he faced but cashed in all three break chances.
Ranked 37th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Stepanek kept momentum rolling in the proceeding set. He got the critical break in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. The Czech maintained consistency in his game and wiped
out the last three games in a row to pocket the match. He was never threatened with any hindrance and converted two out of five break chances to his advantage.
All in all, the 33-year-old capitalised fully on four double faults and many errors Ramos spilled. He also manifested a better first serve share of 67 per cent as opposed to his opponent’s 63 per cent and amazingly availed 20 out of 26 points on it.
Next up for Stepanek is the eighth seed, Juan Monaco from Argentina. The Argentinean star received a first round by after being the top eight players at this tournament.
The 14th seed, Kei Nishikori, will accompany the Czech in the second round. The Asian number one slew Spain’s Marcel Granollers with a breadstick to progress at this event.
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