Xavier Malisse stuns David Ferrer in the opening round – Topshelf Open 2013
Belgian contender, Xavier Malisse, surprised the top seed, David Ferrer, in straight sets at the Topshelf Open 2013 on Tuesday.
He jolted down a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory against the Spaniard to power into the round of 16 at this ATP World Tour 250 series event taking place in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
The Belgian veteran displayed his best tennis to outclass Ferrer in their fifth encounter. After stealing the show in one hour and 28 minutes, Malisse avenged his defeat at the Roland Garros three years ago and improved to a 3-2 lifetime in the FedEx ATP
Head 2 Head series against the world number four.
“Xavier is a very good player (he has reached the semi-finals of this tournament in the past three years) and I am disappointed to have lost my first match,” the Spanish number one was quoted in a courtside interview after losing the match.
In the opening set, both challengers showed exceptional skills and held their respective serves. Malisse warded off the only breakpoint he faced but squandered all three break chances. As a result, the set went to a tie-breaker. The Belgian prevailed in
it and clinched the opener with a 7-6(3) score line.
Ranked 60th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Malisse kept momentum rolling in the following set. He smoothly held his entire serves with poise and got the breakthrough in the eighth game to take a 6-3 win.
On the whole, the Belgian clobbered a lower first serve share of 57 per cent as compared to his rival’s 60 per cent and impressively marked 36 out of 44 points on it. He fired 10 massive aces and ended the match with 75 points.
Next in line for Malisse is the Taiwanese contender, Yen-Hsun Lu, who trashed France’s Edouard Roger-Vasselin with a breadstick to progress.
The second seed, Stanislas Wawrinka, will accompany Malisse in the proceeding set. He triumphed over the Belgian lucky loser, Steve Darcis, in straight sets in almost one and half hour.
The Swiss star found his rhythm in the opening set tie-breaker. He maintained his intensity in the following set and eventually registered the victory.
Wawrinka lost his serve once but capitalised on half of the four break chances to pen down a 7-6(5), 6-4 success. He hammered 10 aces and amazingly marked 37 out of 49 points on his first serve ratio.
Next up for Wawrinka is the Italian contender, Paolo Lorenzi, who dominated in both sets’ tie-breaker to progress.
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