Crazy tie-break thriller in set two
Unimpressed by this, Altmaier opened the second round like the first set and started again with a service game in which he did not allow his opponent a point.
But as soon as there were longer baseline duels, van de Zandschulp was the better player. And so the Dutchman managed a break to make it 3-2 after Altmaier’s volley error.
In the subsequent service game, van de Zandschulp appeared to wobble briefly when he made two errors. But Altmaier’s opponent got the corner again.
The match seemed almost over at 2:4 and 15:40. Altmaier had a total of four break points against him, but fended them off with net attacks or aces and actually won the game 3:4.
Would this successful feat of strength have a liberating effect?
It seemed so, because in the following service game from van de Zandschulp, Altmaier acted much more courageously and was promptly rewarded with break points. He used the third and pulled both arms up in joy.
4:4, everything is open again. Altmaier took the lead 5:4 on his own service and now appeared with a big chest. At 30:30 there was hope of equalizing the set, but van de Zandschulp kept his nerve and made it 5:5.
Altmaier then even had to go past deuce when he increased the score to 6:5. Despite continuing to be offensive, the world number 88 could not prevent the score being 6:6.
There was a tie-break.
There van de Zandschulp relied again on his tried and tested baseline duels and earned two match points at 6:4.
How Altmaier pulled his head out of the noose was almost unbelievable.
With a magic stroke with a one-handed backhand to the ball, he made it 5:6 and finally got himself a set point.
Van de Zandschulp fended this off. 7:7, the crime thriller had reached its highest level.
Again it was match point for van de Zandschulp at 8:7. Altmaier equalized. So it went back and forth.
The brave Altmaier also fended off a fourth match point and a fifth match point.
When van de Zandschulp played a light volley into the net from his perspective to make it 11:12, Altmaier had the chance to equalize the set on his own serve. But the Dutchman continued to resist.
Altmaier didn’t miss the next set point and secured the second round, which was hard to beat in terms of tension, after defending five match points with 14:12 in the tie-break.
