Simone Bolelli ends Leonardo Tavares’ run; moves into main draw – German Tennis Championships 2011
Sunday in Hamburg, Germany witnessed six immensely competitive and thrilling qualifying round final matches. In an action packed match between Italian fourth seed Simone Bolelli and Portuguese Leonardo Tavares, not seeded in the
tournament; Bolelli secured a decisive three set victory over his opponent. He is now safely through to the main draws of the bet-at-home Open German Tennis Championships 2011 in Hamburg.
The match lasted for an intense two hours and thirty five minutes and saw the two players battling it out no holds barred. The score board at match’s end read 6-1, 5-7, and 7-5 in Bolelli’s favour.
The two contenders had previously won their respective opening matches. Bolelli had easily removed wild card entrant Tobias Hinzmann, from Germany from the competition in a two straight set victory. While Tavares had staged a pitched
battle against twelfth seed Croatian Antonio Veic, eventually emerging as the winner with scores at 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the three set match.
The thrilling first set was full of surprises. Tavares opened game in the first set but Bolelli cut it short right there. He registered a serve break in the first game. Tavares pulled out a break of serve in the immediately next
game out of nowhere and limiting Bolelli to just 15 points levelled the scores at 1-1. However this proved to be Tavares’s only game in the entire set and Bolelli marched on successfully converting three other breakpoints in the process. Showing good skill
in the service department Bolelli managed to grab 7 points off 8 serves. Tavares managed two aces but they proved to be insufficient to win him the set which ended at 6-4.
The second set proved to be a little more competitive for Bolelli as Tavares was able to win one breakpoint and Bolelli was unable to save one. The scores steadily built up to the 5-5 mark when in the eleventh game of the set,
Tavares pulled off an unexpected and back breaking break of serve. Bolelli was unable to recover from this blow and conceded the set 5-7 to Tavares.
Shocked by the loss Bolelli reawakened from his slumber and the two contenders fought a fiercely contested set, which ultimately ended 7-5 in Bolelli’s favour. Bolelli won 20 service points, 18 return points for a total of 38 points
against Tavares 30 points – 22 service points and 8 return points.
Bolelli will now play as a qualifier against world No. 42 Argentinean Juan Monaco in his first main draw match.
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