Junior Tennis Champions Center alum Denis Kudla ousted Arthur De Greef of Belgium, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-2, to advance into the French Open main draw.
Kudla was the No. 11 seed in the qualifying round. En route to a berth in the French Open main draw, he defeated two unseeded Canadians, Steven Diaz and Peter Polansky. The Polansky match was especially arduous. Under Wimbledon-esque rules, Kudla edged Polansky 15-13 in the final set.
In three matches, Kudla compiled the following stats:
Total Sets Lost: 2
Aces: 12
Break Points Won: 18 of 35 (51%)
Winners: 40 (a whopping 30 in the final match against De Greef)
Unforced Errors: 42 (37 in De Greef match)
First Serves In: 157/238 (66%)
As of this writing, the qualifiers have not been slotted into the main draw. On the Men’s side, the No. 1 seed is Novak Djokovic and the No. 2 seed is Roger Federer. First round action starts this Sunday, May 26.
*Pictures courtesy of Denis Kudla’s Facebook page
