Pablo Cuevas made light work of Paolo Lorenzi in the second round of the BNP Paribas Masters as he dispatched the Italian 6-1, 6-2 in just 52 minutes.

This was only the pair's second meeting, with their only previous encounter coming at the Rome Masters last year, with Cuevas winning 6-3, 6-2 in the second round.

Cuevas cruises through the opening set

There was not much to separate the two in terms of rankings, with both players ranked inside the top 40 at 22 and 39 respectively. However, the contest looked to be a mismatch from the outset as Cuevas comfortably outclassed Lorenzi in the rallies early on, holding to love and then breaking to 15. The world number 22 only dropped one point on serve in his first two games and swiftly moved 3-0 in front.

In the fourth game, Lorenzi was under further pressure down 0-40. The Italian saved the first with a forehand winner down the line, but the following extended rally finished with an inside out cross court forehand winner from the Uruguayan to secure a double break.

The Italian had a welcome reprieve on serve in his following service game as he got on the board, but that hold was as good as it got for the world number 39. Cuevas, seeded 16, looked untroubled throughout the first set, dropping just two points on serve throughout as he closed it out with a forehand down the line winner to wrap up the set 6-1 after just 19 minutes.

It was a day to forget for Lorenzi as he only managed to win 28 points in the match (34%). Photo: Getty
It was a day to forget for Lorenzi as he only managed to win 28 points in the match (34%). Photo: Getty

The Uruguayan continues to look strong on serve

Things went from bad to worse for Lorenzi at the start of the second set as Cuevas struck a sweet trademark one-handed backhand return of serve winner to bring up two break points. The Italian saved the first but produced an error on the second to allow the 16th seed to maintain the momentum. 

After a series of service holds from both players, the Uruguayan made another breakthrough on the Italian’s serve in the seventh game, earning him the opportunity to serve for a place in the third round. Cuevas had to face a break point for the first time but swiftly recovered to reach match point. His first chance was denied by a double fault, but the 16th seed closed it out to secure a 6-1, 6-2 victory after 52 minutes of play on Court 1.

The world number 22 looks to be in good form so far this week, winning 92% of points behind his first serve in this match. The Uruguayan will face the fourth seed Milos Raonic in the third round after he moved past Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(5), 6-4 on Tuesday.

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About the author
Joshua Coase
2nd Year Multimedia Journalism Bournemouth University, UK - Accredited Journalist for VAVEL USA Tennis and writer for VAVEL UK AFC Bournemouth section.