Carlos Berlocq, Sam Querrey clear their first round hurdles – US Men’s Clay Court Championship 2012
Carlos Berlocq beats James Blake 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
Sixth seed, Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, survived the thrashing in the second set to overpower world number 74, James Blake of USA, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in the opening round at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston on Monday.
Berlocq made the best possible start, as he made breakthroughs in the first and third game of the opener, racing to a 4-0 lead. Blake got one back in the eighth game but could not do anything more than that, losing it 4-6.
The American responded nearly in the same way, as he attained a 3-0 advantage in the second set. Blake struck again in the eighth game, closing it 6-2.
Berlocq did not get pressurised and raised the level of his game in the final set, losing only one game and breaking his opponent three times to triumph 6-1.
The Argentinean looked rusty on the second serves, committing eight horrible double faults and losing 12 of the 21 points on them. However, the 29-year-old put away seven of the 10 break points he faced and capitalised on five
of the eight opportunities he received in the match.
Berlocq will play Bjorn Phau of Germany in the second round.
Sam Querrey defeats Eric Prodon 6-1, 6-4
Sam Querrey of USA, bulldozed 115th ranked, Eric Prodon of France, in straight sets in the first round. The American allowed Prodon to win just five games in the entire match, grabbing it 6-1, 6-4 in just 58 minutes.
Querrey was too good for the Frenchman in the first set, dropping only one game and hitting a couple of blows to capture it 6-1.
The American did brilliantly well in all departments of the game, as he banged in three aces and snatched 12 of the 13 points on the first serves. The Las Vegas, USA resident returned extraordinarily, sealing six of the 12 first
and six of the 10 second reply points.
In the second set, Querrey did not take much time to move ahead, snatching a break in the first game and winning his next serve to attain a 2-0 lead. The American did not lose his serve till the end, claiming it 6-4.
The 6ft 6in tall matched his first set’s performance of three aces in the second. Querrey did an amazing job on the second serves, as he did not lose even a single point on them.
The American is drawn to face either Joao Souza of Brazil or fifth seed, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, in the second round.
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