Tatsuma Ito edges past John Millman into the second round – KEIO Challenger 2012
Top seed Japanese, Tatsuma Ito, survived the meltdown in the second set to overcome the challenge of the world number 233, John Millman of Australia, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) in the first round of the KEIO Challenger in Yokohama, Japan
on Tuesday.
The Japanese contestant needed two hours and 44 minutes to register this tough win over his Australian rival.
Contest was started steadily by Ito and Millman, as they held their serve in the first six games to square off the score at 3-3. The Japanese number three nailed a break in the seventh one and consolidated on it to gain a 5-3 lead.
Ito did not allow his Australian opponent to make a comeback, winning it 6-4.
The 5ft 11in tall player hit two aces and one double fault in the first set. He had a low first serve percentage of 47, securing 11 of the 17 points on them. The 24-year-old converted the only break point he received and saved
all the five he faced.
Ito started the second set the way he had stopped in the first one, making a breakthrough in the opening game and holding his following serve to move up 2-0. However, Millman made a stunning turnaround afterwards, grabbing six
of the next seven and capturing it 6-3.
The Australian player banged in a couple of aces and made one double fault, keeping his first serve percentage at 50. The right-hander clinched nine of the 13 points on both first and second deliveries. The 6ft tall also put up
a good show on the replies to Ito’s serves, as he pocketed nine of the 17 first and five of the 12 second return points in the second set.
Millman and Ito exchanged a single strike in the final set, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. The Australian and Japanese player went at par till 2-2 but then Ito pressed the accelerator, claiming five of the subsequent
six points to triumph 7-6(3).
The Japanese contestant is drawn to take on the world number 321, Taro Daniel, for a place in the quarter-finals.
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