Stefano Galvani, Kenny de Schepper move into the quarterfinals – Guzzini Challenger 2011
Italian Stefano Galvani moved into the quarterfinals of the Guzzini Challenger 2011, an ATP Challenger Tour event, on Friday, 29th July in Recanati, Italy after doing away with Dane Frederik Nielsen in straight sets.
Taking a little less than an hour, Galvani secured a 6-2, 6-3 win over the higher ranked Dane.
Playing each other for the first time on tour, the 34-year-old Italian opened serve in the first set. Double faulting only once, Galvani achieved a meagre 55 percent accuracy on his first serve though he managed a 92 percent win
on it.
Sporting a rock solid defence, Galvani gave no breakpoint opportunity to his opponent. Additionally he converted two breakpoints to his advantage to secure a 6-2 win in the first set.
Despite his age, the Italian’s stamina and resilience did not falter in the second set as he continued his dominance over the Dane. An early break in the third game put the Italian in a 2-1 lead which he later extended to 5-2.
An exchange of breakpoint later, Galvani had closed the set at 6-3 and in effect sealed his straight sets win over the higher ranked Dane.
Going against the ranking difference, Galvani (world number 226) defeated Nielsen (world number 197) in straight sets even though he hit zero aces to the Dane’s three. He hit 70 percent of his first serve on target, achieving the
same figure in win. He won a total of 36 points on his service and 25 on return to ensure his survival at the event.
Moving ahead, Galvani faces fourth seeded Frenchman Kenny de Schepper. De Schepper secured his berth in the quarterfinal after a surviving a mid match lapse against Galvani’s compatriot, Flavio Cipolla.
In a match that lasted for a little over one hour and forty five minutes, the Frenchman hit seven aces, which more than made up for his high number of double faults (5).
Opening serve in the first set, de Schepper faced a resilient Italian as the two went neck-to-neck for the first six games. Converting a breakpoint opportunity to his advantage in the eighth game, de Schepper closed the first set
at 6-3 going one up in the set score.
However, what should have been a straight-sets win, turned out to be a battle for the survival for the Frenchman as he had the tables turned on him in the second set. Upping his game a notch, Cipolla rode a single breakpoint opportunity
in the sixth game to close the set with a reversal of score at 6-3, bringing the set score to even terms.
Coming into the decider, de Schepper once more found his footing as he fought back long and hard, before breaking the Italian in the tenth game to secure a 6-4 win.
Although both players managed an equal win on return (25 points), de Schepper won fifty points on his service, six more than the Italian.
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