Stanislas Wawrinka outlasts Robin Haase in the first round – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
Ranked 20th in the world, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland survived a scare to battle past the Dutch qualifier, Robin Haase, in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, in the opening round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome,
Italy on Monday. The Swiss player required two hours and 15 minutes to undo Haase in a hard-fought contest.
Wawrinka didn't allow the Dutch contender to even settle down, breaking him in the second and fourth game to race to a 5-0 lead. Haase managed to evade embarrassment by winning the sixth but was unable to stage a comeback, losing
the set at 1-6.
The Swiss number two smashed one ace and the same number of double fault. He had an average first serve percentage of 55 but did well to convert 13 of the 18 of them into points. The right-hander inflicted most blows on his opponent
with the help of attacking second returns, claiming three of the four points on them. The Swiss succeeded in saving all the six break points he faced and converted two of the three he received in the opener.
Haase made a better start to the second set, as he didn't allow the Swiss to strike in the first nine games, taking the score to 5-4 in his own favour. The Dutch struck at the right time, hitting a couple of winners to close it
6-4.
The 6ft 3in tall fired 60 percent of the first serves in the second set, bagging 13 of the 15 points on them. He also played remarkably well on the second deliveries and returns, as he pocketed seven of the 10 and six of the 11
points on them respectively.
Wawrinka drew the first blood in the decider, breaking the Dutch in the third game and consolidating on it to go up 3-1. Though, Haase was in no mood to go down without a fight, as he hit back in the eight to even out the score
at 4-4. The Swiss made final breakthrough in the 11th and served out the set at 6-5.
The 27-year-old, Wawrinka, pounded two aces and 56 percent of the first serves in the final set. He had a satisfactory conversion rate on both first and second deliveries, clinching 17 of the 27 and 11 of the 21 points on them
respectively.
The Swiss will play Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic in the second round. Seeded eight in the draw, Tipsarevic received a bye in the opener.
Tags: