Tommy Haas stuns Michael Berrer in the opening round – Hall of Fame Championships 2011
Wildcard entrant from Germany, Tommy Haas, surprised everyone present at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, by defeating his seventh seed fellow compatriot, Michael Berrer on the second
day of the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
In the opening round match being played on Tuesday afternoon, 33-year-old Haas stood victorious against the Berrer in straight sets, 7-6(9), 6-4, in one hour and thirty three minutes of play. His win sends him in to the second
round draws of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 tournament.
The contest appeared evenly poised at the start but the momentum tended to shift towards Haas in the later parts of the second set. The German veteran displayed his vintage form in Tuesday’s encounter and took down his fellow countryman
after a stiff battle in the two sets being played.
The action packed opening set witnessed some elegant winners from the two contestants, including an exchange of serve breaks as well. Berrer was the first one to crack a break in his opponent’s serve and got to a 3-1 lead early
in the contest. Haas responded very aggressively two games later, breaking Berrer’s serve to bring the matchup on even terms once again at 5-5.
Both men refused to submit the opener and scores were deadlocked at 6-6 to impose a tie breaker round. The decider also went on neck-to-neck before a critical mini-break from Haas granted the opening set to him at 7-6(9).
The following set also took off with aggression from both men but Berrer gradually lost his way towards the conclusion of the match. Haas reeled off 16 out of 20 first serve points in the game and converted one of his three break
opportunities to get closer to victory. Berrer squandered away the two break chances he received in the second set and finally surrendered in the 10th game to let Haas away with victory at 4-6.
Haas fired a total of eight thudding aces in the game, while reaching 62 per cent precision on his first serve. He appeared a bit sluggish on converting break opportunities in the match, as he frittered away four chances and converted
just two of them en route to vicroty.
The German will now face the American qualifier, Michael Yani, in the second round clash for a berth in the quarter-finals of the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
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