Stanislas Wawrinka ousts Horacio Zeballos in the opener – Copa Claro 2012
World number 26, Stanislas Wawrinka, prevailed over world number 116, Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in the first round at the Copa Claro tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Monday. The Swiss,
Wawrinka, took an hour and 27 minutes to overcome Zeballos at the clay courts of Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
Zeballos was first to take lead, breaking Wawrinka in the third game of the opener and holding his serve in the next to seize a 3-1 lead. However, the Swiss did not lose any game after that, claiming five in a row and sealing
the set 6-3.
Wawrinka served three aces and one double fault. The 6ft tall saved two of the three break points he came across in the opener.
The Swiss and Argentinean won their serve in the first four games of the second set to take the score to 2-2. A break in the fifth was enough for Wawrinka to capture it 6-4.
The 26-year-old, Wawrinka, fired 84 percent of the first serves. The Swiss delivered a single ace compared to four by Zeballos. However, the Argentinean succeeded in hitting just 71 percent of the first serves correctly.
Zeballos failed to capitalise on any of the four break chances he obtained in the second set.
Wawrinka will face the winner of first round encounter between Frenchman Benoit Paire and Javier Marti of Spain in the next match.
Meanwhile, former Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez qualified for the second round when his opponent, Spaniard Albert Montanes, retired during the match due to a back injury. Montanes was trailing 5-7, 0-1 when
he decided to forfeit.
The Spanish started strongly, as he broke Gonzalez in the opening game and held his next to go up 2-0. However, troubled by back pain, Montanes was unable to win any of the last four games and dropped the set 5-7.
At 15-15, 0-1 in the second set, the Spaniard’s back hurt so badly that he could not continue for a single point and opted to retire.
Gonzalez said, commenting on the proceedings of the match, "It's not the way you expect to win, but I'm very happy to have the chance of going onto the court one more time at this tournament. I played relaxed, without pressure,
and that helped."
The Chilean is slated to meet either Albert Ramos of Spain or eighth seed, Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina, in the second round.
Tags: