Fourth seed David Ferrer's erratic play forced many unforced errors from Tom Smyczek to claim victory and advance to the third round of the Australian Open.
Tom Smyczek made 77 unforced errors magnified by Ferrer's erratic play which allowed Ferrer to run away with a 6-0 7-5 4-6 6-3 win at Melbourne Park.
The Spaniard world No.5 got the job done in typical fashion – working tirelessly around the court, keeping the ball in play and waiting for his opponent to falter - committing 53 fewer unforced errors than Smyczek.
"It was tough. (I played) very good in the first half of the second set - I started very good - but he was playing better in the third," Ferrer said after his win.
"He is a very good player, I've never played against him before and he has a really good backhand, he received well and I like his game."
After just 25 minutes of play Ferrer had raced to take the opening set 6-0, aided by his relentless consistency, which saw him only commit three unforced errors to his opponent’s 16 – a glaring statistic that spoke for itself.
Only 11 minutes into the second set Smyczek found himself down 0-3 and in all sorts of trouble, but a booming ace at 40-30 out wide to Ferrer's backhand saw him grab his first game of the match. As the ball sailed well past Ferrer's racquet the crowd roared, Smyczek smiled and the 25-year-old blasted a ball into the air in celebration.
The small victory was all the American needed to help fight his way back into the match. While Ferrer held on in the second set 7-5, Smyczek’s new-found dare and bold ground strokes – many translating into winners - helped him grab the third set 6-4 and take momentum away from the Spaniard.
But the American’s resurgence didn’t last. A Ferrer break at 1-0 and subsequent holds of serve helped him cruise home in the fourth set and seal the match in two hours and 38 minutes.
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