Sergiy Stakhovsky destroys Maximo Gonzalez in first round – International German Open 2011
Monday started off with the first round matches of the International German Open-Hamburg 2011. The clay circuit welcomed the first two competitors of the day. First up was Sergiy Stakhovsky from Ukraine against Argentine Maximo
Gonzalez. The match was played at the Rothenbaum Tennis Centre, the largest centre court in Germany.
Stakhovsky, ranked at world No.45, has been at German ground all this month. Playing the Mercedes Cup 2011 as well, the Ukrainian has yet to find his big success for this season. The 25 year old has had the highest rank at world
No.31 last season.
Competing against Stakhovsky was Maximo Gonzalez. The Tandil born Argentine had not been in his best form in this season. Out of his last 10 fixtures he won only 1. Though he played in almost every event but lost most of the fixtures
he played. His recent records did support his selection for the favourite for the match. Stakhovsky, however, made the match simple and ended it with ease.
Stakhovsky opened up the 1st round match and the scorecard 1-0. As the match went on it seemed more of a practice match for the Ukrainian international. He immediately gained a three game lead as the score card read
3-0. Managing to break one off, the Argentine recovered as he won his first game of the match. Strikingly this was yet again a bad day for the Argentine. His shots did not have the accuracy neither did seemed consistent. Stakhovsky rushed the scores to 4-1
before he lost a game. Gonzalez won game 6 but that was all for his part as the Ukrainian world No.45 took away the next game and the set 6-2 to lead the match 1-0.
The second set had not much in difference that the first one. Stakhovsky opened up again and commanded from the start. However, Gonzalez did seem to strike back but soon it was just another day dream. The Argentine served the second
game to make the scores level 1-1. He then took off as he won a breakpoint of Stakhovsky’s serve and game after that to lead 3-1 in the set. Repeating the Argentine’s play, Stakhovsky also won a game on his serve and a breakpoint of the next finally levelling
the scores once again to 3-3. He took lead for the second time in the match winning game 15 bombing game 16 devastating the Argentine by taking away the last game, set and match 6-2, 6-3.
Stakhovsky has now qualified for the next round. He is still struggling near the net. However, the 25-year-old Ukrainian had been a disturbing factor in the Mercedes Cup last week and cannot be underestimated.
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