Rajeev Ram ousts Nicolas Massu to reach the final round qualies – Atlanta Tennis Championships 2011
Sixth seeded American contestant, Rajeev Ram, battled past Nicolas Massu of Chile in the second round qualifiers of Atlanta Tennis Championships on Sunday.
The enthralling contest was staged in Atlanta, the United States, with the local player, Ram, taking down the Chilean veteran in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(5), to move in to the final round of the qualifying draws of the ATP (Association
of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 tournament. 31-year-old Massu crumbled in the second set tie breaker to lose the contest after hanging in for one hour and thirty four minutes of play on the hard court of Atlanta.
The most eminent feature of Ram’s victory was his 16 thudding aces, with Massu replying with merely one ace in the entire matchup. Five costly double faults were conceded by the Chilean competitor on very critical moments of the
contest to assist Ram to victory.
The opener took off with a cautious start from both men, tending to play risk-free tennis get their eye in the game. The score board kept on ticking on even terms, without any break points being registered by both contestants.
Ram made his first move in the seventh game to crack in the first serve break of the day and then held his serve to lead 5-3 in the opener. The sixth seeded American launched a series of attacking moves upon his opponent, after sensing his bewilderment and
nailed his second break point conversion to wrap up the set at 6-3, getting one up in the contest.
The following set was stuffed with high quality tennis action, with Massu toiling extremely hard to make his way back in the contest. The Chilean secured 18 first serve points in the second set but his aggression was equally met
by the American contestant, who reeled off 17 first serve points and fired 10 aces. Ram stung a break point in the second game to lead 3-0 Massu finally registered his first serve break of the day to level the scores at 4-4.
A regular was followed, dragging the second set into a tie breaker round, which also went on neck-to-neck, before Ram finally overcame Massu. A Crucial mini-break in the last moments of the game sealed victory for Ram at 7-6(5),
sending him into the final round qualifiers. He will square off against the second seeded Australian, Matthew Ebden, in the next clash for a place in the main draws of Atlanta Tennis Championships.
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