Yen-Hsun Lu overcomes Marinko Matosevic in the second round – Atlanta Tennis Championships 2011
Taiwanese Yen-Hsun Lu, ranked 85th in the world, survived the scare in the first set to defeat world number 169, qualifier Marinko Matosevic of Australia in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round at the Atlanta
Tennis Championships on Wednesday. The Taiwanese needed two hours and seven minutes to oust his opponent in a tough match.
Lu made the initial breakthrough as he broke Matosevic in the fifth game of the first set to take a 3-2 lead. However, the Australian fought back to grab four straight games, breaking the Taiwanese in the sixth and eighth game
to win the set 6-3.
The right-handed hit 57 percent of the first serves and three aces in the opening set. Matosevic served averagely, clinching 70 percent of the first service points and 47 percent of the second service points. However, the Australian
continuously troubled his opponent with attacking returns as he won 50 percent of the first return points. The Melbourne resident clinched two of the eight break points he received on Lu’s serve and saved two of the three break points on his own serve in the
first set.
Lu bounced back in the second set as he claimed first three games, breaking the Australian in the second game and holding his serve in the next game to race to a 3-0 lead. Matosevic managed to hold his serve in the fourth game,
reducing the trail to 1-3. The Taiwanese again won three successive games after that, bagging the set 6-1.
The five feet and eleven inches tall did not serve quite well as he committed three double faults and hit just 39 percent of the first serves. However, Lu made up with his ground strokes and return of serve. The Taiwanese captured
four of the eight points on the first returns in the second set. Lu capitalised on the two break point opportunities he created on the Australian’s serve and saved both break points he faced on his own serve in the second set.
Matosevic drew the first blood in the deciding set, breaking the Taiwanese in the second game to grab a 2-0 lead. However, Lu played flawlessly after that as he clinched six games in a row to seal the set 6-2.
The Taiwanese failed to save the only break point he faced on his own serve but won all the three break points he received on Matosevic’s serve in the third set.
Lu is slated to meet world number 35 John Isner of USA in the quarterfinals.
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