Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka overcame 30 unforced errors and saved 11 break points to defeat qualifier Timofey Skatov in the first round of the Bucharest Open in Romania on Tuesday.
Wawrinka, who turned 40 last Friday, needed three hours and 18 minutes to top Kazakhstan’s Skatov 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1). Down 5-3 in the third set, Wawrinka, of Switzerland, held Skatov to love in two consecutive games to even the match.
No. 5 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain also needed three sets to knock out Yunchaokete Bu of China, but No. 8 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina made quick work of Radu Albot of Moldova.
Also moving to the second round were Christopher O’Connell of Australia, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary, Francisco Comesana of Argentina, Gabriel Diallo of Canada, Filip Misolic of Austria and Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Grand Prix Hassan II
Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain won his first match on clay since 2022, defeating home-country wild card Younes Lalami Laaroussi 6-1, 6-3 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Healthy again after battling an elbow injury, Carreno Busta won 85 percent of his first-serve points and had just 11 unforced errors against 30 for his opponent.
Also reaching the second round were No. 8 seed Mattia Bellucci of Italy, Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands, Otto Virtanen of Finland. Two French players, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Hugo Gaston, rebounded to win after dropping the first set.
Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak upset Jaume Munar of Spain, the No. 6 seed, 6-4, 6-3.
U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship
Ethan Quinn, a 21-year-old California native ranked 130th in the world, came from behind to beat sixth-seeded Jordan Thompson of Australia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round at Houston.
The result was particularly impressive considering Quinn was playing an ATP Tour match on clay for the first time in his career. He converted half of his break-point opportunities while saving 9 of 13 break points on his own serve.
U.S. players Christopher Eubanks and Colton Smith also beat Australian opponents, while Aussie Adam Walton got past the United States’ Michael Mmoh. France’s Adrian Mannarino and the United States’ Mackenzie McDonald advanced, too.
In the last match of the night, eighth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan downed U.S. qualifier Mitchell Krueger 6-4, 6-2.
–Field Level Media
