Xavier Malisse outplays Michael Berrer in opening round – Moselle Open 2011
World number 47, Xavier Malisse of Belgium, had a tough fight against the 88thranked Michael Berrer of Germany before he eventually defeated him in the first round of the Moselle Open on Tuesday night.
The sixth seeded Malisse took one hour and forty two minutes of play to settle the three-setter at 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, to move into the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event.
The contest was played on the indoor hard courts of the Arenes de Metz, in Metz, France, with the Belgian registering his 21st victory of the running year. It was the second consecutive time that Berrer has suffered
a defeat at the hands of Malisse, as the German lost to the Belgian opponent in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-2, at Toronto Masters last year.
The Tuesday’s contest displayed the brilliant hard-court tennis skills of the eighth seeded Malisse, who worked hard in the game to take down the resilient German. Malisse’s 57 per cent serve included 12 cracking aces and he earned
36 out of 46 first serve points in the game to come out as the winner. Berrer registered eight aces and clinched 39 out of 49 first serve points but struck just one serve break in the entire matchup, in reply to the Belgian’s two break point conversions, to
finish on the losing side in the end.
Malisse was off to an excellent start in the opener, breaking his opponent in the third game to lead 3-1 early. He dropped not a single point on his serve and kept with his aggressive intent to hold the lead till the conclusion
of the first set at 6-4.
The following set had a steady start in the beginning, with no serve breaks witnessed in the opening seven games. Tide turned in the eighth game when Berrer registered his only serve break of the match to edge past Malisse and
then served out of the second set comprehensively at 6-3.
The final set witnessed intense tennis from both competitors and the score board kept on ticking on even terms. A vital break point conversion from the eighth seed Belgian in the 10th game sealed victory for him at 6-4,
sending him into the second round of Moselle Open.
Malisse will take on either the local wildcard, Kenny de Schepper or the Russian competitor, Igor Kunitsyn, in the second round of the tournament.
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