Thiemo de Bakker surprises Guillaume Rufin in the semi-finals – San Juan Challenger 2012 CH
Fifth seeded, Guillaume Rufin, received a shocking upset by Thiemo de Bakker at the semi-finals of the San Juan Challenger 2012 held at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, Argentina. The Dutch player consolidated his win against
the higher ranked professional in three set thriller 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1 on the eve of Saturday.
The fifth seeded Frenchman inaugurated the first set but despite of his experience he was unable to strike a hit. Bakker clinched the opportunity and cashed away the only lone break presented and pressurized his challenger by stamping
a 3-2 lead. The French professional’s confidence completely collapsed because he played in a weak morale. Bakker confidently progressed without facing any hindrance and eventually terminated the opener with a 6-4 score line.
In the second set, Bakker drew the first blood and held his initial serve with a strong resolve to sustain his former win. He broke Rufin’s serve in the third game and stamped a 3-1 lead in very next game. However, the 22-year-old
French started to gain momentum gradually and surprisingly broke Rufin’s serve in the eighth game. This aroused an alarming attack for the Dutch, who quickly activated. The score line oscillated continuously between the two extremes and Rufin stole the show
with a 7-6(4) win after a tough tiebreaker round.
The 24-year-old Dutch professional thundered into the ATP World Tour 250 tournament final set with a with strong resolve to clinch the early lead. He brushed away all the possible attack made by his challenger and preserved his
serve the entire time. Moving towards the end, the lower ranked Dutch professional broke his competitor’s serves twice i.e. in the fourth and the sixth game respectively. Rufin seemed completely dormant and as he was unable to sustain his rival’s pressure.
Bakker nudged forward and terminated the set with a bread stick.
Both participants double faulted five times but the world number 150, Bakker had secured eight aces. He converted 40 of 52 first and 25 of 44 second delivery points. Fortunately, he capitalized on four of 12 serve breaks and his
rival lost the lead because he just snatched one of three.
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