Tatsuma Ito outshines Roberto Bautista-Agut to reach round two – Kremlin Cup 2012
Eighth seed, Tatsuma Ito from Japan, got the better of the Spanish challenger, Roberto Bautista-Agut, in a topsy-turvy three setter at the Kremlin Cup 2012 on Monday. He juggled up a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory against the world number 76 to secure a place in
the round of 16 at this indoor hard court event held in Moscow, Russia.
The Japanese seed swayed from his path in the second set and equaliser the set scores. However, he sought his rhythm again and consequently clicked the match in one hour and 44 minutes. As a result, Ito not only edged in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis
Professionals) Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the Spaniard but also advanced into the second round at the Olympic Stadium.
Ito made a powerful start at this ATP World Tour 250 Series event. He broke his rival’s serve twice and took a 4-1 lead. The Japanese then exchanged two serve breaks and eventually sealed the opener by winning six games to three. He dusted away two out of
four break chances and converted four out of six break opportunities to his advantage.
The 24-year-old Spaniard made a stunning reply in the proceeding set. He got the desiderated break in the opening game and jumped to a 2-0 lead. After the Japanese held his serve in the third game, Bautista-Agut winded up last four games and pulled out the
equaliser with a breadstick. He smoothly pocketed his entire serves without facing any barrier and availed three out of seven break chances to his advantage.
Ranked 63rd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Ito found his rhythm again in the final set. He got the desiderated break in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. After Bautista-Agut held his remaining serve in the fifth game,
Ito pocketed the last three games and clinched the decider with a 6-2 score.
Overall, the Japanese spilled six double faults but amazingly marked 26 out of 38 points on his first serve share to prevail.
Next up for Ito is the conqueror of the match between two qualifiers, Russia’s Konstantin Kravchuk and Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev.
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