France’s Alexandre Muller fended off two match points in the third set Wednesday to defeat the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in the first round of the Internazionali NBL d’Italia in Rome.
Muller won 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in two hours, 37 minutes, for his third top-40 victory of the season. He faced two match points on serve at 4-5 in the third set.
The Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor needed three sets but dominated in the last one to rally past Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
Griekspoor powered to 16 aces and 41 winners with only one double fault in a match that lasted 94 minutes. Kecomanovic recorded three aces, 15 winners and six double faults. Griekspoor won 80 percent (43 of 54) of his first-serve points to 61 percent (28 of 46) for his opponent.
“He is a very tough competitor and we always have big battles, and this was the first one on clay,” said Greikspoor, who leads Kecmanovic 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “I let it slip at the end of the first set, but I am really happy with the level I put on the court in the second and third sets.”
Griekspoor converted 5 of 7 break-point opportunities to 2 of 4 for Kecmanovic.
Australian Jordan Thompson downed France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in a battle lasting two hours and 22 minutes. Thompson leads Mpetchi Perricard 5-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. Mpetchi Perricard fired 13 aces.
Luciano Darderi, representing the home country, knocked off China’s Yunchaokete Bu 7-6 (4), 6-3 with the help of seven aces and 30 winners. Italian wild card Francesco Passaro topped Taiwanese qualifier Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
Argentinian qualifier Roman Andres Burruchaga, making his ATP Masters 1000 debut, won in straight sets over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 6-3 in 93 minutes. Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli needed 126 minutes to down Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, Serbia’s Laslo Djere, Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva, Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic and Finnish qualifier Otta Virtanen all earned straight-set victories.
Lithuanian qualifier Vilius Gaubas recorded a 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4 win over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina. France’s Corentin Moutet won in three sets over Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. Spanish qualifier Carlos Taberner went three to down American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.
Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie, in the tournament as a lucky loser, knocked off Australia’s Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-2.
–Field Level Media
