ITST News

Richie routs Tester to win Olympic gold, Rharm wins the bronze medal
Written by isaldor
12 Aug'20 - 17:21

WRITTEN BY MAIRON

Rharm wins the bronze for the UK, beating Filas in two sets

Rharm def. Filas 7-6(11), 6-4

The first match to be played was going to decide who will win the bronze medal. Rharm and Filas met for the first time on tour and both of them were influenced by the importance of the match. We’ve seen a rather nervous first set which went to tie break. Rharm, who was a slightly better opponent on the court couldn’t capitalize on his chances and had already missed a couple of break points earlier. He had a commanding lead in the tie break but almost blew it, after allowing Filas to save consecutive set points. However, he held his nerve and won the first set 7-6 (11) and proceeded to break early in the second. Filas managed to break back but it was not meant to be, Rharm controlled the rallies and was the more aggressive player and eventually prevailed, winning the Olympic bronze.

Filas shouldn’t feel too bad, he’s returned to the big stage after a long break and will be a dangerous opponent on American hard courts. The bronze will give Rharm a lot of confidence, and perhaps prompt him to a victory dance in true Bollywood style. 

Ten time Grand Slam Champion Richie Wins the Olympic Gold for France

Richie def. TesterAVI 6-2, 7-5, 6-2

We had every reason to expect a thrilling final between Richie and TesterAVI, the two players who showed impressive form this summer and won the two previous slams. It turned out that the final was a one man show, with Richie dominating his opponent, who said after the match he felt bad the entire time. It doesn’t take away anything from Richie, however, who was simply too good for Tester in Tokyo. ITST number 1 retrieved almost every ball, moved impeccably, and hit amazing backhands from all positions. Tester struggled to find his rhythm from the opening game of the match, handing Richie an early lead. The French ace soon broke Tester’s serve again, taking a commanding lead in the first set which he proceeded to win 6-2. 

Tester raised his level in the second set, which saw a much tighter battle, with both players holding their serve until 5-5. The eleventh game proved to be Tester’s undoing, as Richie managed to break and serve it out to win the second set 7-5. 

The third set brought us more of the same: Tester, unusually for him, rushing and trying to hit winners, but making a lot of errors in the process, and Richie doing everything almost perfectly.

In the end, there could only be one outcome, Richie winning the Olympic gold and adding another big title to an already impressive resume. 

Tester won’t be too disappointed with his silver medal, as he’s still playing great tennis and likely had a bad day at the office. Richie has confirmed his top dog status and will head into the US Open series as the main favorite. 

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC PODIUM

GOLD Richie (FRA)

SILVER TesterAVI (ESP)

BRONZE Rharm100 (GBR)

WRITTEN BY MAIRON

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