Ricardas Berankis stuns Bjorn Phau in opening round – Farmers Classic 2012
Lithuanian qualifier, Ricardas Berankis, shocked everyone after upsetting seventh seeded Bjorn Phau in straights sets at the Farmers Classic 2012 on Tuesday. He jolted down a 7-6(8), 6-4 victory against the 32-year-old to secure a place in the round of 16 at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in Los Angeles, California.
Berankis displayed top notch performance to record this surprise victory against the German star. The players last fought each other at the SAP Open in San Jose two years ago and after pocketing this match in one and a half hour, Berankis improved to a 2-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the world number 76.
The 22-year-old assertively stepped on the American hard courts and kept his serve in the opening game. He continued dominating his service game until he suffered the first blood in the 11th game. However, he quickly counterattacked and snatched his break back in the very next game, eventually taking the set to a tie-breaker. Berankis ruled in it and clicked the opener with a 7-6(8) score line.
Ranked 141st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Berankis carried his rhythm in the following set. He blocked the lone breakpoint he came across to keep his entire serves. The Lithuanian got the breakthrough in the seventh game and pocketed the set with a 6-4 win.
All in all, Berankis clobbered a lower first serve share of 47 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 54 per cent but tremendously marked 30 out of 37 points on it. He also took advantage of the many double faults his rival committed and sealed the match with 83 points.
Next up for the Lithuanian youngster is Russia’s Igor Andreev in the second round. Andreev stomped over the Israeli number one, Dudi Sela, in straight sets to set up this battle.
The Italian contender, Paolo Lorenzi, will accompany Berankis in the follow-up round. He summed up a 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 victory against the local challenger, Bradley Klahn, in almost two hours. Lorenzi was broken four times but cashed in six out of 22 break chances to earn the glory. He spilled more double faults finished the match with 92 points. The Italian also produced a better first serve share of 72 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 66 per cent and amazingly jolted down 39 out of 60 points on it.
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