Author: Barkha Roy
In the final qualifying match, Moldova’s fifth seed Radu Albot secured victory over Brazil’s 20th seed Felipe Alves in a four-setter: 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6. Albot made one ace, but with three double faults, while Alves made eight aces with two double faults. Both players had high first serve percentages, with Albot at 84% and Alves at 89%.
Albot beat Alves in terms of winning percentage on the first serve (72% to 63%) and the second serve (53% to 31%). Albot took 5 of 18 break point opportunities, while Alves converted 3 of 8. Albot won a tiebreak and came out on top with 138 points in total, compared to 119 for Alves. Albot won 23 games, including a run of five games and seven consecutive points. He also won 82 service points and 17 service games, while Alves managed 79 service points and 14 service games.
Chile’s Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera emerged victorious from a tough final round match against Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild, winning 6-4, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3 and 6-2. He hit 6 aces and had 3 double faults, while Seyboth Wild recorded 13 aces and 5 double faults. Barrios Vera showed a strong serve, with a 73% first serve percentage, and took 5 of the 12 break point opportunities. He won 55 reception points and amassed 153 points in total. In the end, Barrios Vera claimed victory with 26 games won, while Seyboth Wild had a tough fight, securing 22 games.
Earlier in the day, in a very tight second round qualifying match on Wednesday, Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert suffered a narrow defeat against Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, the 21st seed, by a score of 5-7, 6-7. Herbert managed 2 aces, but had 4 double faults, while Seyboth Wild made an impressive 13 aces with 5 double faults. Both players had solid first serve percentages, with Herbert at 56% and Seyboth Wild at 67%. Seyboth Wild performed better on the second serve, winning 89% of the points compared to Herbert’s 62%. Seyboth Wild secured a tiebreak win and emerged victorious with 76 points, while Herbert managed 68 points.