Tatsuma Ito rallies past Paolo Lorenzi into the second round – AEGON Championships 2012
Japanese player, Tatsuma Ito, finished off his overnight match by beating the world number 90, Paolo Lorenzi of Italy, in three sets 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-2 in the first round at the AEGON Championships on Wednesday. Ito faced a tough
time in his opening match on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in London, as he needed two hours and 10 minutes to win a close match.
Ito and Lorenzi exchanged a single break in the first set, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. The Japanese made a good start and raced to a 3-0 lead but his opponent made a comeback and levelled the points
at 6-6. Ito managed to claim two successively afterwards and closed it 7-6(6).
The Japanese player hit one ace did not make any double fault, keeping his first serve percentage at 73. The 24-year-old had a satisfactory conversion rate, pocketing 19 of the 27 first and six of the 10 second delivery points
in the opener.
Ito and Lorenzi made a stable start in the second set, holding their first eight serves and equalising the score at 4-4. The Italian hit a blow to Ito at that moment and sealed it 6-4.
Lorenzi pounded four aces and 74 percent of the first serves, winning 19 of the 23 points on them. He was a bit rusty on the second ones, as he lost five of the eight points but compensated that by securing seven of the 17 second
return points.
In the third set, both players did not allow each other to break in the first five games and took the score to 3-2 in Japanese contender’s favour. It was an all Ito show after that, as he snatched three in a row to win 6-2.
The right-hander banged in a couple of aces and 52 percent of the first serves in the final set. Ito put away both of the break threats he came across and utilised the two opportunities he created.
The Japanese will play Julien Benneteau of France in the second round. The Frenchman, who is seeded eight in the draw, received a bye in the first round.
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