Fifth-seeded Alex Michelsen didn’t face a single break point while rolling to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri on Monday in the opening round of the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels.
Michelsen reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open last month in his top Grand Slam showing. He committed just 10 unforced errors against Guerrieri, while his opponent had 28 miscues.
Another American, lucky loser Martin Damm, posted a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann. Spain’s Jaume Munar also advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Italian qualifier Federico Cina.
Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
Sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti had a 5-0 edge in aces while dispatching fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-1, 6-4 in first-round play in Lyon, France.
Musetti saved all six break points he faced to improve to 5-0 all-time against Arnaldi. He will next face 17-year-old French wild card Moise Kouame, who registered a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
Also, France’s Felix Balshaw outlasted Portugal’s Jaime Faria 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to earn his first ATP Tour victory. The 20-year-old had nine aces and 32 winners.
Almaty Open
Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta saved all five break points en route to recording a 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-4 victory over fellow Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante in the first round in Kazakhstan.
No. 8 seed Tirante had a 13-4 edge in aces but committed 39 unforced errors to Acosta’s 24. Acosta also won 75.3 percent (67 of 89) of his service points.
In other first-round play, Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-5; Australia’s James Duckworth beat Croatia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-3; Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin survived Greece’s Stefanos Sakellaridis 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), and Frenchman Adrian Mannarino was a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 winner over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
–Field Level Media
