Thiemo De Bakker ousts Simon Greul to capture the crown – TEAN International 2012
Eighth seed, Thiemo De Bakker, took down the German challenger, Simon Greul, in straight sets at the TEAN International Tennis Tournament 2012 on Sunday. He penned down a 6-4, 6-2 victory against the 31-year-old to lift the crystalware at home soil tournament
taking place in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands.
The local star unveiled his true colours to carve out the victory in one hour and 14 minutes against Greul. Battling each other for the first time, De Bakker broke his opponent’s serve three times to steal the spotlight and grab the title at this ATP (Association
of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event.
De Bakker comfortably entered clay courts of the Alphense Tennis Club. He fired massive forehands and blocked the lone breakpoint he faced to keep his entire serves. The Dutch capitalised on one out of three break chances in the ninth game and clinched the
opener with a 6-4 score line.
Ranked 187th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, De Bakker kept momentum running towards the proceeding set. After breaking Greul’s serve twice, the Dutch jumped to a 5-1 lead. He plucked his serve once again and bagged the set
with a 6-2 win. The Dutch was never challenged with any breakpoint and capitalised on two out of three break opportunities to earn the fame.
All in all, De Bakker fired eight aces and manipulated a better first serve share of 63 per cent in contrast with his opponent’s 53 per cent. He acceptably clinched 28 out of 33 points on it and sealed the deal with 60 points.
The eighth seed showed exceptional skills throughout the tournament. He battled his wild card compatriot, Antal Van Der Inch, in three sets in the opening round. The Dutch then crushed Portugal’s Pedro Sousa with a breadstick to reach the final eight. He
eased past his lucky loser compatriot, Wesley Koolhof, and stunned fourth seed Joao Sousa in straight sets to reach the final showdown.
Greul on the other side of draw also showed similar passion. He stunned the second seed, Daniel Gimeno-Traver, in straight sets to secure a place in the final round.
Tags: