Robin Haase ends Flavio Cipolla’s Barcelona Open run in straight sets
Robin Haase of the Netherlands sent Italian tennis pro Flavio Cipolla home in straight sets at the 2011 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, defeating the player in the first round of the ATP World Tour Masters 500 tournament. Haase undid
Cipolla in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 and the match was over in just a little under one and a half hour.
Haase was the first player to double fault during the match, and committed many unnecessary errors in the beginning of the first set. This lead spectators to believe that he might be on the backfoot where this match was concerned,
but the player seemed to pull himself together within the first few games to score the only ace of the set, and to break Cipolla three times out of seven opportunities. He himself was only broken twice. The player committed two double faults, but this did
not deter his progress during the set as he scored seven points more than his opponent to take 55 per cent of the points in the set. He won the first half of the match 6-4, taking a significant lead against Cipolla.
The second set was an even easier one for Robin Haase, as he took an early lead and seemed to be determined to hold on to it. The player saved all three break points which he was faced with, and even managed to break Flavio Cipolla
once. The Dutch pro went on to win eight points more than that of Cipolla, who faltered in the second set despite committing no double faults. Haase eventually won the match by taking 57 per cent of the total points played, winning the second half of the match
6-3. The winning score-line for the pro was 6-4, 6-3 against Cipolla.
Robin Haase is currently ranked World Number 59, and has been part of the pro tour since 2005. He had never faced Cipolla prior to this meeting. The 24-year-old will take on French tennis pro and seventh seed Gael Monfils in the
second round of the Barcelona tournament.
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