Returning to the scene of his greatest tennis triumph — the upset victory over current world number two Novak Djokovic two years ago – South African number one Kevin Anderson demonstrated similar grit while accounting for Argentina’s Juan Pablo Brzezicki in the opening qualifying round of the Miami Masters tournament on Tuesday.
Anderson’s 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 victory was achieved after he had seemingly surrendered the initiative against a wily, never-say-die opponent after racing through the opening set without losing a game.
But Anderson showed the kind of resolve he has not always demonstrated in the past to regain control of the match in the third set and race to what was eventually a comfortable victory after his lethal serves had controlled the proceedings.
Anderson’s prospects of gaining an important place into the main draw were also enhanced on Tuesday when Germany’s second-seeded qualifier, Mischa Zverev, was beaten 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 by Austrian Steven Koubek in another vacillating, topsy-turvey encounter.
Anderson was seeded to meet Zverev in the final qualifying round and facing Koubek might now prove a marginally easier task — although the 33-year-old Austrian veteran is showing signs of the form that once earned him a ranking among the top 20 players in the world. — Sapa