Victor Hanescu overpowers the injury-stricken Malek Jaziri in round one – Grand Prix Hassan II 2012
Romanian contender, Victor Hanescu, registered a 6-2, 3-0 retirement victory against Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri at the Grand Prix Hassan II 2012 on Tuesday. As a result, the 30-year-old secured a spot in the second round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
clay court event held in Casablanca, Morocco.
Hanescu was leading 6-2, 3-0 when his opponent was forced to retire due to an injury. Encountering each other for the first time, the Romanian not only edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against Jaziri but also progressed into the round of
16 at the Complexe Al Amal.
The Romanian veteran high-spiritedly entered this ATP World Tour 250 series event and drew the first blood in the opening game. He then maintained his intensity and bagged the proceeding two games with a break of serve. Regardless of losing his serve in
the fourth game, Hanescu cashed in another break chance and consequently sealed the opener with a 6-2 win.
Ranked 105th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Hanescu kept momentum rolling in the following set and stroke out the opening three games with two breaks of serve. However, the Tunisian was forced to pull out from the match
due to an injury he sustained in the game, ultimately awarding the match to Hanescu.
All in all, the Romanian veteran dominated in the 52-minute venture. He jolted down a better first serve share of 84 per cent in contrast with Jaziri’s 53 per cent and tremendously marked 19 out of 26 points on it.
Next challenge for Hanescu is the seventh seed, Albert Ramos, who eased past his compatriot, Pere Riba, in straight sets to set-up this meeting. The seeded Spaniard blocked two out of three breakpoints he faced but capitalised on five out of eight break
opportunities to formulate a 6-2, 6-3 success.
The Italian challenger, Potito Starace, also earned the fame later that day. He stomped over the Spanish qualifier, Roberto Bautista-Agut, in straight sets to advance at this event. Starace produced a higher first serve share and broke his opponent’s serve
four times to manipulate a 6-4, 7-5 score line.
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