[37] Laslo Djere (SRB) vs. [48] Guido Pella (ARG)
Despite the discrepancy in their rankings, Pella is the more experienced clay court player; however, Djere had the advantage of owning a title, while Pella has yet to win his first career singles ATP Tour title. This was their first meeting and at stake was a chance to get to another final. Pella has had four previous chances to win his first title; however, he has yet to cross the finish line.
PERHAPS IT WAS FATIGUE
Perhaps fatigue caught up to the young Serbian, who for the second consecutive week had gone deep in the draw on clay. Clay is the surface that taxes the body and mind more than any of the other surfaces; and it demands patience and supreme fitness to gain the victory. It could also have been the unrelenting attack from the Argentinian or a combination of both factors. Despite not at his best, Djere fought to the very end.
A CASE OF NERVES
Even after getting to four previous finals and being the more experienced clay court player, Pella succumbed to a bout of nerves when he served for the match at 5-3 up in the second set. The physical effects of tension were apparent in the decreased depth of his shots and his lack of clarity in what shots to make. His attempt at an inappropriate dropshot was a perfect example that he was not thinking clearly, and he was summarily broken (15-40).
RECOVERED IN THE NICK OF TIME
Pella may have been aided by the arm fatigue of his opponent; however, he still had to win the points. Despite the last-ditch effort from the Serbian to force a second tiebreak, he was completely dominated by the Argentinian. Pella won 7-6(10), 7-6(1) and he will face first time finalist, [92] Christian Garin (CHI), in the final.
Who will claim their first ATP Tour singles title tomorrow?
SOURCE OF MAIN IMAGE: Zimbio.com (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Europe- Guido Pella)
