Brazilian Felipe Meligeni gave a resilience class on Monday (23), saving nine match points and beat Ecuadorian Álvaro Guillén Meza, in the qualifying phase for Wimbledon.
Current number 147 of the ATP ranking, Meligeni won the match by two sets by one, with partials of 6/3, 0/6 and 7/6. The triumph came 10-4 in the decisive partial Tie-Break, to vibrate the Brazilian fans on block 13 Club Roehampton in London.
The tennis player had not been working for a month, due to a back injury, and was close to losing in two situations. There were six match points for the opponent when the game was 4/5 and another 5/6, but Meligeni managed to defend his service and close the match.
“I managed to keep my head strong at the important moments, I saved nine match points. It was nice to have won not only for the sports issue, but also on the mental side, returning to the game after the way the second set,” explained the Brazilian.
Meligeni still has to win two more matches in the qualifying phase to join. In the next round, the Brazilian faces the Japanese Shintaro Mochizuki, on Wednesday (25).
