Ricardas Berankis downs Clay Thompson in qualifiers – Farmers Classic 2012
Qualifying fifth seed, Ricardas Berankis, rallied past the local wildcard entrant, Clay Thompson, in straight sets at the qualifying competition of Farmers Classic 2012 on Sunday. He penned down a 6-2, 6-4 victory against the 20-year-old to secure a spot
in the final qualifying round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in Los Angeles, California.
Berankis showed brilliant skills and agility to outclass the local challenger in their first encounter at this event which is part of the Emirates Airline US Open series. After pocketing the match in one hour and eight minutes, the Lithuanian convincingly
progressed into the final round of the qualifying competition.
The 22-year-old went berserk after entering the Los Angeles Tennis Center. He blasted powerful groundstrokes and reeled off the opening four games in a row before Thompson could hold on. Berankis then held his remaining serves with conviction and held the
opener by winning six games to two.
Ranked 141st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Berankis maintained his intensity in the follow-up set and wiped out the opening four games successively. Apart from losing his edge in the eighth game, the Lithuanian slid his
serve once again and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
Next up for fifth seed is the Uruguayan competitor, Marcel Felder, who devastated the local challenger, Kevin Kim, with a bagel to set up this duel. Felder lost his serve twice but cashed in six out of eight break chances to formulate a 6-3, 6-0 victory
in just under an hour.
The third seed, Tim Smyczek, faced a bitter reality later that day. He was edged out by his compatriot, Bradley Klahn, in gruelling three sets to exit from the tournament. The seeded American capitalised on two out of nine break chances but was broken four
times, eventually enduring a 0-6, 6-2, 3-6 loss at the hands of the world number 613. The 24-year-old American also clobbered a lower first serve share of 57 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 67 per cent and finished the match with only 77 points.
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