Former champion Tommy Robredo’s season debut is off to a flying start with the 34-year-old seeing off No. 7 seed Fabio Fognini in the first round of the Argentina Open on Tuesday. The Spaniard inched ahead in the pair’s FedEx Head2Head series 5-4 with the 6-4, 6-3 result. Having undergone right elbow surgery last season, the former World No. 16 in the Emirates ATP Rankings arrived in Buenos Aires on a protected ranking of No. 57. But against Fognini, there were few signs of any rust. He broke the Italian four times in the one-hour, 13-minute affair. He will next face either Victor Estrella Burgos or Thiago Monteiro. [ALSO LIKE] Robredo’s countryman, fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, had a far more...
Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer took to a different court location on Tuesday ahead of the Argentina Open. The duo had a hit on Puente de la Mujer, a rotating footbridge in the commercial district of Buenos Aires. "It’s a really beautiful place here and [it's] really fun to have some time with David," said top seed Nishikori. "I hope I can stay healthy here this week and hope I can enjoy this week." [ALSO LIKE] "We were on the bridge, it was nice with Kei," added Ferrer. "It’s important for the tournament and we have fun." Nishikori will face the winner of the match between Diego Schwartzman and Facundo Bagnis, while Ferrer, the third seed, will open in the...
Kei Nishikori is relishing his time back in Buenos Aires for the first time in five years. Guided by his coach, Dante Bottini, the Shimane native has done one of the most compulsory experiences that a visitor has to do: having a nice ‘asado’, an Argentinian roast. “This country is great and there are so many things that you can do. Yesterday I had a great steak. It was really tasty,” the No. 1 seed said. “I am really excited to be back here. Dante has been helping me a lot, especially on clay courts, and for me it is very special to be here because he is from Argentina.” It was Bottini’s idea for the then 17th-ranked Nishikori to...
In a solid day for the home favourites on Monday, Federico Delbonis and Leonardo Mayer are through to the second round of the Argentina Open. Delbonis squared his FedEx Head2Head series at 1-1 with Frenchman Stephane Robert after a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 result in Buenos Aires, while wild card Mayer – in his first match of the season – prevailed against Portugal’s Gastao Elias 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Watch full match replays Delbonis, the World No. 48 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, won his first match of 2017 with the straight-sets result against the 36-year-old. He awaits the winner of either his countryman Horacio Zeballos or Portugal’s Joao Sousa. Former world No. 21 Mayer, whose 2016 season was disrupted by right...
