In a rain-interrupted Wednesday, a pair of South Americans – Nicolas Jarry and No. 6 seed Diego Schwartzman – have surged into the Rio Open presented by Claro quarter-finals. Chilean Jarry started the day with an upset of No. 4 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain, 7-5, 6-3, before Schwartzman breezed through an all-Argentine clash with Federico Delbonis 6-2, 6-3. Top seed Marin Cilic was locked in a gripping battle with former top tenner Gael Monfils before rain cancelled the night’s play. The Croat had rebounded from dropping the opening set and saved a match point after a rain delay in the second set tie-break before rain returned with the pair locked at 3-6, 6-6 and 7-all in the tie-break. “I...
Reilly Opelka is on a compatriot-slaying run at the Delray Beach Open after ousting top seed and defending champion Jack Sock on Wednesday night. The 6’11” #NextGenATP American, who contested his first ATP World Tour event of the season, brought down his more fancied countryman 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Opelka, the World No. 228 in the ATP Rankings, thumped 17 aces to Sock’s four in the pair’s first meeting. He had already downed fellow American Ryan Harrison in the opening round and could have met another of his countrymen, No. 6 seed John Isner in the quarter-finals. Isner – a three-time Delray Beach Open semi-finalist – narrowly fell, though, to German Peter Gojowczyk 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 7-6(5). It is Gojowczyk’s third quarter-final...
After saving four match points in his opening match on Monday, seventh seed Damir Dzumhur needed another stunning comeback to reach the Open 13 Provence quarter-finals on Wednesday. The 25-year-old found himself 0/5 down in a third-set tie-break, but reeled off seven consecutive points to overcome Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-6(5). Dzumhur had led the final set by a double break at 4-1, before the Italian grabbed the momentum to fight back and establish a substantial final-set tie-break lead. But, as he did on Monday, Dzumhur produced his best level under intense pressure to rally to victory. The World No. 29 will next face Tomas Berdych or Stefano Travaglia for a place in the semi-finals. France’s Lucas Pouille twice...
Juan Martin del Potro has undoubtedly been one of the hottest players on the ATP World Tour, breaking back into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings in January for the first time since 4 August 2014. So it was no surprise to see Del Potro cruise to a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy at the Delray Beach Open on Tuesday evening. It could be the beginning of another big run in Florida for the 29-year-old, who has advanced to at least the semi-finals in each of his three previous appearances in Delray Beach. Del Potro claimed the title on his debut in 2011 (d. Tipsarevic). The World No. 10, who has now triumphed in the opening round...
Could a Gael Monfils match possibly end quietly? It looked that way as Horacio Zeballos led 5-2 in the third set of their first-round encounter at the Rio Open presented by Claro on Tuesday evening. The Frenchman even faced match point as the left-hander served for the match at 5-3. But Monfils would find his entertaining best to win the final five games of the match to clinch a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory against the Argentine. "It was a tough match for me," Monfils said. "I never stopped believing and definitely had a huge help with the crowd. The crowd was amazing tonight." The recent Qatar ExxonMobil Open champion, who also advanced to the semi-finals at the Argentina Open last...
