Tomas Berdych plonks Andreas Seppi to reach round third – BNP Paribas Masters 2012
World number six, Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic, got the better of the Italian star, Andreas Seppi, in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Masters 2012, an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event held in Paris, France. He nudged up a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory against the 28-year-old to power into the third round on Tuesday.
Seeded fifth in this event, Berdych tumbled the Italian in their seventh encounter at this indoor hard court event. After earning the glory in one hour and 40 minutes, the Czech improved to a 5-2 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against Seppi and inched closer towards his third year-to-date title.
Berdych made a convincing entry at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. He got the crucial break in the second game and took a 2-0 lead. Despite squandering his edge in the very next game, the Czech remained calm and plucked his remaining serves with poise. The set went to a tie-breaker where Berdych edged past the Italian and ultimately clicked the opener with a 7-6(6) success. He cashed one out of two break chances but failed to defend the lone breakpoint he encountered.
The 27-year-old moved up a gear in the following set. He wiped out the opening four games before Seppi could come on the score sheet. The Czech kept his remaining serves with conviction and eventually clinched the set with a 6-2 score line. He dusted away the only breakpoint he faced and capitalised on two out of eight break chances to steal the show.
On the whole, the Monte Carlo resident produced a slightly higher first serve share of 63 per cent as compared to his rival’s 61 per cent but impressively marked 35 out of 47 points on it. He also smashed five aces and ended the match with 77 points.
Next in line for Berdych is the winner of the match between 12th seeded Richard Gasquet and the South African number one, Kevin Anderson.
The sixth seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, will join Berdych in the following set. He fired 15 aces to formulate a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2) score line in two hours and 24 minutes.
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