Thiago Alves overcomes Guido Pella in the first round – Circolo Tennis Monza 2012
World number 145, Thiago Alves of Brazil, came back in style after losing the opener, losing just two games in the rest of the match to beat Argentina’s Guido Pella, ranked 206th in the world, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the first
round of the Circolo Tennis Monza in Italy on Monday.
The Brazilian required two hours and one minute to undo his opponent in a close match.
Alves made a fine start, breaking the Argentinean in the second game and winning his following serve to go up 3-0. Pella got his act together after that, claiming three consecutively to level the proceedings at 3-3. The Argentinean
made full use of his momentum, striking again in the 11th and capturing it 7-5.
Pella fired three aces and one double fault, putting in 60 percent of the first serves in the opener. He had an average conversion rate, as he managed to clinch just 15 of the 24 first and 11 of the 16 second delivery points.
Alves did not lose his temper after getting stunned in the first set and came out as an improved player in the second. The Brazilian grabbed a breakthrough in the second game and consolidated on it to attain a 3-0 lead. He hit
another blow in the sixth and served it out at 5-1.
The 5ft 10in tall smacked a couple of aces and did not omit any double fault, delivering 64 percent of the first serves and pocketing 17 of the 27 points on them. The Brazilian continuously attacked his opponent’s weak second serves,
securing six of the seven points.
Alves started the decider exactly from where he had left in the second set, winning opening four games to race to a 4-0 advantage. Pella avoided more embarrassment by opening his account in the fifth but he lost two more afterwards
to go down 1-6.
The 30-year-old, Alves, served even better in the final set, as he kept his first delivery percentage at 82 and bagged 11 of the 14 points on them.
The Brazilian will face qualifier, Walter Trusendi or sixth seed, Antonio Veic, in the second round.
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