Ze Zhang upsets Tobias Kamke to reach round two – Gerry Weber Open 2012
Chinese qualifier, Ze Zhang, upset the local star, Tobias Kamke, in straight sets at the Gerry Weber Open 2012 on Monday. He juggled up a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory against the 26-year-old to secure a place in the second round at this outdoor grass court tournament
taking place in Halle, Germany.
The Chinese contender, Zhang, showed top quality performance to outshine Kamke in their first encounter. After pocketing the match in almost one and a half hour-long marathon, Zhang not only took lead in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against the
world number 85 but also powered into the round of 16 at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event.
Zhang made a drastic start at the Gerry Weber Stadion and after losing her opening two serves, he went 0-3 down. However, he made a fitting reply and wiped out the following four games in a row, eventually going 4-3 up. The Chinese maintained consistency
in his game and cashed in another break opportunity in the last game and clicked the opener with a 6-4 score line.
Ranked 217th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Zhang kept momentum running towards the following set and earned the coveted break in the second game to jump to a 2-0 lead. Despite losing their serve in the very next game, he
cashed in another break chance in the eighth game and leaped to a 5-3 lead. He squandered his chance of serving out the set but dominated in the tie-breaker to register a 7-6(2) success.
All in all, Zhang manifested an equal first serve share of 68 per cent and impressively marked 36 out of 55 points on it. He also capitalised on seven double faults his rival committed and superbly warded off six out of 10 breakpoints he faced.
Next up for the qualifier is fifth seeded Milos Raonic who triumphed over last year’s runner-up, Philipp Petzschner, in straight sets to set up this meeting.
The defending champion, Philipp Kohlschreiber, will accompany Zhang in the second round. He prevailed in two set’s tie-breaker to formulate a 7-6(4), 7-6(4) score line in 82 minutes.
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