Sergiy Stakhovsky makes early exit in title defence
World number thirty seven and 2009 St. Petersburg Open champion, Sergiy Stakhovsky was ousted from the tournament in his first round match against the German, Benjamin Becker. Becker currently ranks at fifty seven in the world
rankings and is an unseeded player in the tournament.
Stakhovsky’s hopes of a title defence were crushed in a two hour and ten minutes long match against the German earlier on Wednesday. Seeded second in the tournament, Stakhovsky was one of the favourites to win the title this year.
However, the German turned the tables in the final set to ensure victory for himself.
Even though he committed two double faults, Becker won the first set 6-4. However, Stakhovsky saved a match point in the second set to win the set 5-7. With one set each, the match entered the third and deciding set. Becker upped
his performance in the third set by committing no double faults, serving five aces and losing only six points on service to ensure victory for himself. He served a total of eight aces in the match and lost twenty three points on service, making his service
point winning percentage seventy four percent. The final match score was 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
The Ukrainian tennis player had this to say after the match, “It's always difficult to come and defend your title. I could have won the match, but the chances I had, I didn't use them properly and the match was over. I cannot say
that I played badly but he left me no chances after a break in the third set.”
Having never met on the courts of an ATP event, this was the pair’s first meeting with a 0-0 head to head score. With Stakhovsky being a seeded player, Becker clearly had odds stacked against him; however, he managed to turn the
tide in his favour and lead the score 1-0.
Stakhovsky, a qualifying finalist, was unseeded in the 2009 St. Petersburg Open and giving an excellent performance in the tournament he made his way into the finals to meet the Argentinean Horacio Zeballos. Early in the match,
Zeballos secured a 6-2 victory in the first set. However, Stakhovsky did not give up and took the second set into tie break and won it 7-6(8). He again took the third set into tie break and only won it narrowly by 7-6(7). This was his second title win at an
ATP event.
Stakhovsky, who has two titles to his name in the 2010 season, had an unlucky start in Russia when he exited the 2010 Kremlin Cup in the second round after losing to compatriot Alexandr Dolgopolov. It seems that that stroke of
bad luck continues for him in the second Russian ATP event as well, as the German forced a first round exit on the defending champion.
Becker, who has one career title to his name ever since he turned professional may have set himself on the path for a title win here at St. Petersburg after upsetting the seeded professional. Becker now goes on to face French Paul-Henri
Mathieu later in the tournament.
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