Ruben Bemelmans cripples Rajeev Ram to reach round two – BB&T Atlanta Open 2012
Belgian qualifier, Ruben Bemelmans, took down the local contender, Rajeev Ram, with a breadstick at the BB&T Atlanta Open 2012 on Tuesday. He juggled up a 6-1, 6-3 success against the world number 104 to secure a place in the round of 16 at the Atlantic Station in Johns Creek, United States.
Bemelmans showed superb tennis to outsmart the 28-year-old in straight sets in their first meeting. After recording the victory in almost an hour-long venture, the Belgian took lead in the head-to-head series by 1-0 against Ram and progressed into the pre-quarters at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held.
The left-handed Belgian made quick in-roads and jumped to a 3-0 lead after drawing the first blood in the second game. After the American came on the score sheet for the first time in the fourth game, Bemelmans unleashed his skills again and pulled out the opener with a breadstick.
Ranked 125th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Bemelmans kept momentum rolling in the following set and drew the first blood in the third game to go 2-1 up. Apart from levelling the scores at 2-2, the Belgian stroke out the last four games successively and sealed the set by winning six games to three.
Summing up the Belgian’s performance, Bemelmans clobbered an equal first serve share of 48 per cent but impressively availed 17 out of 23 points on it. He also committed fewer double faults and finished the match with 58 points.
Next challenge for Bemelmans is the top seeded local star, John Isner, who received a bye into the second round after being the highest ranked player at this tournament.
Another qualifier, Richard Berankis from Lithuania, also earned the glory later that day. He clobbered a 6-3, 6-2 victory against the Russian star, Dmitry Tursunov, in one hour and 15 minutes. Berankis was broken once but capitalised on five out of 11 break chances. He clobbered a slightly higher first serve share of 45 per cent as compared to his rival’s 44 per cent and amazingly marked 20 out of 25 points on it.
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