Tobias Kamke overpowers Flavio Cipolla in final showdown - Loughborough Challenger 2011
Tobias Kamke, ranked world No.108 before the final of Loughborough Challenger 2011, outlasted his final round rival, Flavio Cipolla, Italian world No. 80, beating the Italian down in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. Although the final round
ended in straight sets, the match was worth a watch as the two broke each other multiple times in the match.
Walking down the blue circuit, both got a warm welcome by the crowd followed with the match warm up and the toss. Winning the toss, Kamke, German, took his side to serve the match opener. Serving out game one, 1-0, Kamke rolled
down the scoreboard and stood to return next.
Although Cipolla had a higher ranking, he was unable to make a solid start. Breaking the Italian in game two, Kamke extended his lead from 1-0 to two straight games win and led the board. Serving out his second game, German maximized
the breakpoint win and led 3-0.
Finally, breaking the silence, Cipolla managed a win saving a near breakpoint and cutting down the lead to 1-3. Ranked world No.108, Kamke did not stop his beating as he served out his third service game maintaining his 3 games
lead, 4-1.
With just two more games left to finish off the set, Kamke broke game six, 5-1, lost his serve in the seventh, and broke back in game eight to pull off the first set of the match with a 6-2 win. With a strong start winning the
first set, Kamke continued with set two of the match.
Serving first, the 25-year-old rallied out long before he save a breakpoint and scored the first game of the set, 1-0. Cipolla, failing to follow the German counterpart, lost his opening serve and was now down two straight games,
0-2. Kamke, taking advantage, added another winner to lead the set three games to nil.
Cipolla finally pulled back in the set, as he served out game four, 1-3, broke the higher lower ranked German in game five, 2-3, and served out again to level the scores at 3-3. The two won a game each next on respective serves
to level up again at 4-4 before the match boiled up.
Breaking each other next, Cipolla and Kamke once again were at level terms, 5-5. However, the match did not end in a tiebreaker. Kamke, serving out game eleven, broke Cipolla in game twelve bagging the second set, 7-5, and winning
the title.
Winning his first title of the year, Kamke now moves from world No.108 to world No. 94, a 14 place jump for the German. On the other hand, Cipolla, ranked world No. 80, now ranks, world No.77.
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