Teymuraz Gabashvili ousts Nicolas Mahut to reach semis – BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux 2012
Russian qualifier, Teymuraz Gabashvili, took down the local contestant, Nicolas Mahut, in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux 2012 on Friday. He juggled up a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the 30-year-old to book a place in the semi-finals at this
red clay court event which is part of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour 2012.
The underdog displayed brilliant skills and agility to upset Mahut in their third meeting. The contestants previously battled each other at the Rotterdam ATP World Tour 500 event where Gabashvili conquered the French in straight sets. After bagging this
match in one hour and 19 minutes, the Russian progressed into the final four.
The Georgian-born Gabashvili high-spiritedly entered Villa Primrose and plucked his opening serve to tie the scores at 1-1. He maintained consistency in his game and continued sliding remaining serves. The Russian got the breakthrough in the seventh game
and clicked the opener with a 6-4 win. He blocked the lone breakpoint he faced and capitalised on one out of three break chances to inch towards the fame.
Ranked 162nd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Gabashvili kept momentum running into the following set and earned the critical break in the opening game to take the initial lead. He then swiftly swiped in entire serves after
brushing off all three breakpoints he faced and cashed in his second break opportunity in the last game to clinch the set with a 6-3 score line.
All in all, the Russian produced a slightly higher first serve share of 72 per cent as compared to his rival’s 70 per cent and amazingly availed 34 out of 43 points on it. He also hammered two aces and finished the match with 68 points.
Next in queue for the qualifier is the Czech challenger, Lukas Rosol, who crushed the former world number 12, Paul-Henri Mathieu, with a breadstick to set-up this battle. He got the better of the local wildcard entrant after cashing in four out of nine break
chances and keeping his entire serves, ultimately sealing the deal with a 6-4, 6-1 score line.
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