Uladzimir Ignatik defeats Alexander Kudryavtsev in the final of the ATP Challenger Tour, Guangzhou
Seventh seed Uladzimir Ignatik of Belarus outplayed the fourth seed Russian Alexander Kudryavtsev in the final of the ATP Challenger Tour Guangzhou in China on Sunday night. He took barely one hour to wrap up the straight sets victory 6-4, 6-4.
The Russian had not dropped a single en route to the final of the ATP Challenger Guangzhou. He won all his initial round matches in an assertive manner and was considered to be the hot favourite to win the tournament with his brilliant performance and consistent
form. He was caught by surprise by Ignatik, who gave him no chance to settle down in the contest.
The 20-year-old won his first career title at Guangzhou by defeating the World no. 132 Kudryavtsev. It was an enthralling competition with surprising statistics for both players. The Russian was very impressive with his serve and delivered with 71 per cent
accuracy, cracking 17 thudding aces. Kudryavtsev won 32 out of 41 first serve points and conceded merely three double faults. Despite serving so strongly in the match, the Russian failed to strike a serve break and lost the game to his opponent.
Kudryavtsev had a strong start to the opener, belting eight rapid aces and winning 16 out of 19 first serve points, but didn’t craft a break chance. Ignatik was equally good at collecting points and bagged 20 out of 24 total serve points. He got two break
opportunities in the first set but the Russian denied him on both occasions.
A routine rally took the first set at 4-4 and it appeared as if the set was heading to a tie breaker round. A crucial serve break by Ignatik in the ninth game changed the story of the game as he was left serving for the set at 5-4. Ignatik delivered his
fourth ace to seal the first set at 6-4, leading the match by one set to none.
The Russian uplifted his game in the second set, delivering first serve with 73 per cent accuracy and throwing nine aces. Kudryavtsev won 16 out of 22 first serve points, with 71 per cent of second return points. Although Ignatik delivered just 59 per cent
first serve on target, he collected 18 of 20 points on it to outclass his opponent.
Kudryavtsev received a break chance in the second set but couldn’t convert it, while his rival stung a vital serve break in the seventh game to lead 4-3. Ignatik kept playing aggressively, without committing a double fault to reach the championship point
at 40-15 in the tenth game. He marked the end of the contest by cracking a forceful forehand winner down the line.
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