Top seed Milos Raonic showed he's finally injury-free at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open on Wednesday, coming through a lengthy 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(3) tussle over an in-form Aljaz Bedene to reach the quarter-finals. Bedene, who finished runner-up last week in Budapest (l. Pouille), traded service holds throughout the first set with Raonic before taking the final three points in the tie-break. The Canadian broke Bedene twice in the second set to level the match, but neither player earned a break point in the decider. In the third-set tie-break, Raonic ripped a forehand winner to earn a 2/0 mini-break and held the momentum to prevail in two hours and 36 minutes. Raonic was playing his first match in nearly six...
Fifth seed Viktor Troicki won nearly half of his return points to beat Marcos Baghdatis 7-5, 6-4 on Tuesday at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. Troicki is looking to capture his first title since winning the Apia International Sydney crown last year. [ALSO LIKE] The Serbian will next face #NextGenATP player Karen Khachanov, who converted six of his 17 break points against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili to advance 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 in two hours. Troicki's countryman Dusan Lajovic had to battle for two hours and 41 minutes to beat seventh seed and #NextGenATP player Borna Coric of Croatia 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-5. The 26-year-old Lajovic faces Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the second round. Bosnian Damir Dzumhur set-up a second-round clash against...
Juan Martin del Potro was nearly perfect during his clay-court season debut on Tuesday. The fifth seed struck eight aces and saved the lone break point faced to beat Japan's Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 6-3 at the Millennium Estoril Open. Del Potro, a two-time champion of the Portugal Open (2011, 2012), which preceded the Millennium Estoril Open, extended his Portugal win streak to 10 matches and has now won 19 consecutive sets. Sugita came in at a career-high No. 73 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after beating Estoril No. 1 seed Pablo Carreno Busta last week to reach the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell quarter-finals. “I feel better than I thought before the match,” said del Potro. “I think I played a...
Three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber started his attempt for a fourth BMW Open by FWU title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against #NextGenATP player Casper Ruud on Tuesday in Munich. The 33-year-old German broke the 18-year-old Ruud four times in the 68-minute win. “The start was a bit shaky but after that I think I was in very good control, and in the end I think it was a good win for me,” Kohlschreiber said. The Augsburg native is making his ninth straight tournament appearance and 13th overall (28-9 record). Kohlschreiber won titles in 2007, 2012 and last year, and reached the final in 2013 and 2015. Five of Kohlschreiber's seven career ATP World Tour titles have come in Germany, and...
Sixth seed Bernard Tomic won nearly 75 per cent of his service points to secure his fourth victory of the season on Monday, beating lucky loser Mohamed Safwat of Egypt 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in just under two hours at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. Tomic improved to 2-1 on clay this year and will face Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva, who needed more than two hours to defeat Italian qualifier Riccardo Bellotti 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-0. [ALSO LIKE] Czech Jiri Vesely earned his first victory against Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Granollers had led their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0. Vesely will next face eighth seed Steve Darcis of Belgium, who dismissed Israeli Dudi Sela 7-5, 6-4. Russian Mikhail Youzhny...
