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Auckland - Another seed bit the dust at the Heineken Open in Auckland on Tuesday, with crafty Frenchman Adrian Mannarino cutting giant South African Kevin Anderson down to size.
According to the Stuff.co.nz website, in a brutally efficient display of shot-making and serving efficiency the compact 23-year-old Mannarino tied the 2.03m Anderson in knots as he mesmerised the fifth seed during a 6-3, 6-3 victory that took just 64 minutes on centre court.
It was an impressive display from the world No 87 who had to come through qualifying to take his place in the main draw. He was dominant on serve - winning 84 percent of the points on delivery - and broke the big-serving South African three times in total as he picked his serve off on a fairly regular basis.
The left-handed Frenchman, who plays with a deft touch and a serve with plenty on it, said he was particularly pleased to take down Anderson after losing three of their previous four meetings, including the semi-final in Johannesburg last year.
"I knew it would be tough but I returned so well."
Mannarino broke Anderson in the third game and again in the ninth to seal the opening set in emphatic fashion. Anderson's first-serve percentage of just 56 just wasn't high enough against a returner of the Frenchman's calibre.
Anderson held his first two serves of the second set, but a double-fault served up two break-points in the sixth game and a nice angled volley gave Mannarino the crucial break he needed to complete the straight-sets victory.
According to the Stuff.co.nz website, in a brutally efficient display of shot-making and serving efficiency the compact 23-year-old Mannarino tied the 2.03m Anderson in knots as he mesmerised the fifth seed during a 6-3, 6-3 victory that took just 64 minutes on centre court.
It was an impressive display from the world No 87 who had to come through qualifying to take his place in the main draw. He was dominant on serve - winning 84 percent of the points on delivery - and broke the big-serving South African three times in total as he picked his serve off on a fairly regular basis.
The left-handed Frenchman, who plays with a deft touch and a serve with plenty on it, said he was particularly pleased to take down Anderson after losing three of their previous four meetings, including the semi-final in Johannesburg last year.
"I knew it would be tough but I returned so well."
Mannarino broke Anderson in the third game and again in the ninth to seal the opening set in emphatic fashion. Anderson's first-serve percentage of just 56 just wasn't high enough against a returner of the Frenchman's calibre.
Anderson held his first two serves of the second set, but a double-fault served up two break-points in the sixth game and a nice angled volley gave Mannarino the crucial break he needed to complete the straight-sets victory.
