Stephane Robert takes down Dominik Meffert in the first round of the Status Athens Open
Frenchman Stephane Robert had a tough time before he outplayed Dominik Meffert of Germany in the opening round of the Status Athens Open at Athens, Greece on Tuesday. Robert won the contest in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-4, taking just one hour and thirty six minutes of play to step into the next stage of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event.
It was a back-and-forth affair, with the two contestants throwing out their best at each other. High quality intense tennis was witnessed in the opener, as none of the players were willing to submit the game to his opponent. Robert took down the second set with relatively less difficulty, after he clinched the hard-fought opening set in the tie breaker round.
The two 30-year-old contestants proved to be an equal match for each other and exhibited a treat to watch for the crowd at Athens. Less difference was observed in the overall performances of the competitors and some minors on part of Meffert cost him the match. The German delivered his first serve with 54 per cent precision, firing five thudding aces along with it and conceding two faults in the game.
The Frenchman’s mental resilience proved to be the critical success factor for him in the match, as he kept his nerve in intense pressure situations of the competition. He secured 33 out of 45 first serve points, with his opponent nabbing 28 of 37. Robert constructed five opportunities of his own to break the German’s serve and converted three of the chances to come out as the winner at the end.
Meffert had his chances in the contest but some unforced errors on critical occasions didn’t allow him to take the better of his rival. The German was bestowed with nine break chances and he availed merely two of them.
Two serve breaks from each contestant were exchanged in the opener before the scores reach 6-6 to impose a tie breaker. Meffert hung in the decider for some time before he had to submit to the brilliance of the French, who took the first set at 7-6(4).
The German squandered five break chances in the next set while dropped his serve in the fifth game to let Robert edge pass him. The French kept focused in the game and reeled off the second set at 6-4 to conclude victory. With this win over Meffert, Robert books a date with the top seed Benjamin Becker of Germany in the second round of the Status Athens Open. Beck was successful against Charalampos Kapogiannis of Greece in the opening round matchup on Tuesday.
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