Jan-Lennard Struff wins second round to face Alexander Bublik
Posted : 21 June 2023
Jan-Lennard Struff has secured the last spot in the second round. The local hero from Warstein, who represented Blau-Weiß Halle in the Bundesliga for an extended period, defeated Roman Safiullin with a score of 6-1 and 7-6(4). His next opponent on Thursday will be Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan.
It was an emotional return for Struff to the Owl Arena, which was filled with enthusiastic spectators from the start of the day. Expressing his gratitude for the support, the 33-year-old "Struffi" stated, "It means a lot to me to play here."
It was evident that the world number 21, just one spot behind Alexander Zverev in the ATP rankings, felt comfortable on the largest court at the Hall facility. He carried the momentum from last week, where he reached the final of the grass tournament in Stuttgart and narrowly lost in a tie-break against Frances Tiafoe.
Struff faced only one break point in his opening service game and controlled the match against Safiullin, who was playing his first grass match at the ATP Tour level. Struff broke his opponent's serve three times, closing out the first set 6-1.
However, Safiullin fought back strongly, securing an early break to go up 2-1. Struff remained determined and managed to break back, leveling the score at 3-3. Both players held their serves without much trouble, leading to a tie-break.
Safiullin quickly took a 3-0 and 4-2 lead but failed to score another point thereafter. Struff made a strong comeback with a powerful backhand down the line and earned his first match point. He capitalized on it, winning the tie-break 7-4 to seal the victory. Reflecting on his win, Struff expressed his happiness and excitement for the upcoming matches.
With this triumph, Struff has improved his record at the Terra Wortmann Open. It marked his third victory in Halle out of ten appearances. In the past, he had suffered nine defeats and was eliminated in the first round on seven occasions.
However, those days seem to be behind him. Struff has developed into a formidable grass player and has shown excellent form this year. There is no reason why he shouldn't be considered a contender for the tournament victory.
ADD A COMMENT :
Hot Topics
User name is required Email Id is required Comment is required
ADD A COMMENT :