Two-time champion Gilles Simon safely navigated his way through two tie-break sets to beat rising German star Maximilian Marterer 7-6(3), 7-6(4) in the first round of the Open 13 Provence on Tuesday. The Frenchman, who most recently won the event in 2015 (d. Monfils), won 73 per cent of points on his first serve, but was made to save two set points at 4-5 in the second set before securing the victory. Simon moves into a second-round meeting with Rolex Paris Masters runner-up Filip Krajinovic. Krajinovic marked his return to France with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Joao Sousa. The one-hour, 57-minute match featured six breaks of serve with the Serbian converting on all three of his opportunities....
Damir Dzumhur got his Open 13 Provence title bid off to a winning start, saving four match points at 4-5 in the second set before cruising to the finish in a 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over Mikhail Kukushkin on Monday. Competing in the Marseille main draw for the first time, the World No. 29 saved eight of ten break points and converted on four of his 13 opportunities to seal his place in the second round after two hours, 55 minutes. Dzumhur won his first two ATP World Tour titles at the end of last season (St. Petersburg, Moscow) on indoor hard courts and is looking to add a third trophy to his collection. The Bosnian, who is at a...
The frenetic month of February continues with another trio of tournaments. The second ATP World Tour 500 event of the year takes place at the Rio Open presented by Claro, while the Open 13 Provence returns to Marseille and the Delray Beach Open celebrates its 26th edition. View draws: Rio de Janeiro | Marseille | Delray Beach 10 THINGS TO WATCH IN RIO DE JANEIRO (1) What A Week: Twenty-two of the Top 32 players on the ATP World Tour will compete this week in Rio de Janeiro, Delray Beach or Marseille. Leading the way at the Rio Open presented by Claro are defending champion Dominic Thiem and Australian Open and Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic. (2) No. 3 And Rising:...
