Sam Querrey bounces over Jurgen Melzer to reach second round – Western and Southern Open 2012
Local wildcard entrant, Sam Querrey, hit back to outsmart the Austrian number one, Jurgen Melzer, in a three-set nail-biter at the Western and Southern Open 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory against the 31-year-old to power into the second
round at this Masters 1000 series taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The 24-year-old stayed on track to bid for his second year-to-date title after triumphing over Melzer. Querrey recently conquered the Farmers Classic (trashed Ricardas Berankis in the title-round) and gained lot of confidence. He started his campaign this
year standing at number 93 and after lifting his game recently, the American cracked the Top 30 again. He reflected:
"Everything's feeling good; serving good; forehand and backhand feel great. Biggest thing is just my confidence. My confidence is high right now. I believe I can make a lot of shots, and I think that's a huge part of it. I hope I can just keep winning a
few matches and I'm knocking on the door."
The players last battled each other at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week and after stealing the spotlight, Querrey improved to a 2-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series against the world number 36.
Melzer made a sloppy start at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. He suffered the first blow in the seventh game to trail at 3-4. However, the Austrian quickly counterattacked and wiped out the last three games, eventually sealing the opener with a 6-4 success.
Currently ranked 29th in the ATP rankings, Querrey bounced back in the following set. After Melzer plucked his serve in the third game, the American unleashed flurry of groundstrokes and reeled off the last five games. As a result, he assertively
pocketed the equaliser by winning six games to two.
The in-form American kept his rhythm in the final set and got the coveted break in the opening game to take the initial lead. He held his entire serves with poise and clinched the decider with a 6-4 score line.
Next challenge for Querrey is the defending champion and the Olympic Champion, Andy Murray. The American stated about his next match-up:
"He's obviously playing great. He's got a lot of confidence. I'm going to go out there and just go for it. Hopefully maybe more aggressive on second serve returns, maybe take a few more chances and just have fun and enjoy it."
The British number one is seeded third at this outdoor hard court event and has received a first round bye.
Tags: