Qualifier Pavic sails into Chennai Open 2nd Round

Qualifier Ante Pavic of Crotia displayed tremendous variations of pace and game plan to make it to the second round after he rallied from one set down to upset higher ranked Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1) in the ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament here today.
In an outside court action, John Millman of Australia, ranked 90, put paid to the aspirations of Russian Evgeny Donskoy (ranked 88) with superb exhibition of tennis with a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (6) win in 158 minutes.
In the opening singles match of the season, 26-year-old Pavic, ranked 449, lost the first set after being broken in the sixth game.

But, it was a different story in the next two sets as Pavic matched Almagro to the hilt in the second as he sent five booming aces and came up with a better first serve percentage to lead 6-5. He then broke Almagro in the 12th with two break points to level the set score.
The third set also went in the same fashion and the rivals shared 12 games and took the decider to tie break. Pavic raised his game to the peak to lead 6-1 in the tie break and then wrapped up the match with an ace.

And yet, it all wound up working out. And how. Muguruza

broke a total of four times, twice in each set.
After saving two break points herself to get to 2-all, Muguruza nosed ahead first, when Williams combined three errant backhands with a double-fault to hand over the lead.
An additional dose of confidence arrived in the next game, despite beginning with two-double faults to create a love-30 hole. Muguruza quickly pulled herself out, taking the next four points to go up 4-2, capped by a down-the-line forehand winner on the 11th stroke of the exchange.
Muguruza won all six points of 10 shots or more in that opening set and, indeed, there was no junkballing on this day. Both women hit hard, quite hard, trading bold forehands and backhands from the baseline. Seemed unfair to characterize nearly anything as an "unforced error," considering the way each made things so tough on the other.

But it was Williams who had more difficulty putting shots right where she wanted, an unusual sight. She wound up with 39 forced errors, 18 more than Muguruza.
Still, Williams broke to 4-all, and they were at 5-all when Muguruza regained control. She hit a backhand winner, then drew two miscues by Williams. When Muguruza smacked a backhand winner on her third set point, she was one set from the championship.
She then broke in Williams' next two service games, as well, enough of a lead to make her first seriously significant shakiness -- three double-faults in one game, including on the last two points -- to become irrelevant.

Muguruza held four match points while leading 5-3 as Williams served. But it would not end right then and there. Williams, resilient as they come, staved off the full quartet, forcing Muguruza to try to serve for the victory. And that she did, converting her fifth match point, the last she would need, with a delightful lob that landed right on the opposite baseline.
Maybe stunned by that shot, maybe stunned that she was now a Grand Slam champion, Muguruza turned toward her coach and other supporters in the stands with a blank expression. Soon, she was flat on her back, caking her dress and arms with the rust-colored clay she will never forget.