Xavier Malisse upsets Jeremy Chardy to reach quarters – Citi Open 2012
Belgian star, Xavier Malisse, stunned the sixth seed, Jeremy Chardy, in straight sets at the Citi Open 2012 on Thursday. He jolted down a 6-3, 6-2 victory against the 25-year-old to occupy a spot in the quarter-finals at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis
Center in Washington D.C., United States.
The 32-year-old stayed focused throughout the match to outclass Chardy in their second encounter at this outdoor hard court tournament. After prevailing in this 61-minute battle, Malisse not only avenged his loss in Delray Beach two years ago but also levelled
the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head series by 1-1 against the seeded French.
Malisse enthusiastically entered this Emirates Airline US Open Series event taking place from 28th July to 5th August. He smoothly plucked his entire serves without facing any trouble. The Belgian capitalised on one out of two break
chances in the eighth game and clinched the opener with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 67th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Malisse kept momentum floating in the follow-up set. After Chardy kept his serve in the third game, the Belgian unleashed his skills and went on a five-game tear. He cashed in two
out of three break opportunities to seal the set by winning six games to two.
All in all, Malisse was clearly the better contestant throughout the battle. He smacked eight aces and manifested a better first serve share of 68 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 60 per cent. The Belgian also availed 26 out of 32 points on it and finished
the deal with 58 points.
Next in queue for Malisse is the top seed, Mardy Fish, who trounced the Lithuanian wildcard recipient, Ricardas Berankis, with a breadstick to set up this meeting. The top local star easily held his entire serves and broke Berankis serve four times to manipulate
a 6-3, 6-1 success. He also struck 10 aces and clobbered a better first serve share of 63 per cent as opposed to his opponent’s 47 per cent. The world number 15 took full advantage of many double faults the Lithuanian spilled and sealed the matc with 58 points.
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