Tomas Berdych prevails over David Goffin in the first round – US Open 2012
Seeded sixth in the draw, Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic saved a huge number of break points and went on to beat Belgium’s fast rising youngster, David Goffin, in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round of the US Open
in New York on Tuesday.
Playing in the morning session, Berdych needed two hours and 43 minutes to claim victory and advance to the next stage of the tournament.
Czech Republic’s top player played with aggression throughout the match, hitting 17 aces and 40 winners against vastly talented Goffin.
Berdych did not take much time to move ahead, as he struck in the sixth game to build a 4-2 lead but Goffin broke back immediately to come on equal terms, levelling the score at 4-4. The Czech number one hit another blow in the
11th and this time he held his following serve to win 7-5.
In the second set, Berdych and Goffin did not allow each other to break in the opening seven games, taking the score to 4-3 in favour of the former. The Czech player put pressure on his junior rival to secure a breakthrough and
capitalised on it to grab it 6-3.
There was plenty of action in the third set, as Berdych and Goffin exchanged a blow in the opening three games to square off the score at 3-3. The world number seven, Berdych, nailed breaks of serve again in the seventh and ninth
to seal it 6-3.
Berdych took his break point statistics in a positive manner, as he succeeded in saving most of them. Commenting on this, the Czech player said, "It's a good point and good statistic for me. I think he has a pretty good future
ahead of him. If he just stays doing what he's doing, then I think we can see him in the future quite high."
The 26-year-old was pretty satisfied with his performance at the net, as he stated, “This is a part of my game that I definitely need to have in my whole game. There are matches and players that you can use it more often or tactically
it’s a good thing to do.”
On the other hand, Goffin shared, “It was not an easy match. I had a lot of opportunities in the first set, and then, ah, he serves good. It was tough for me today.”
Berdych will take on the Estonian player, Jurgen Zopp, for a place in the last 32.
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