Arthur Cazaux of France took down Swiss wild card Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Open Occitanie on Monday in Montpellier, France.
Cazaux, 22 years old and ranked No. 101 in the world, is a native of Montpellier. What’s more, he and Wawrinka are set to compete in the men’s doubles draw at the tournament later in the week.
Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner still forging a comeback from injuries at 39, smashed eight aces with one double fault. Cazaux did not record either an ace or a double fault, but it was his serve that carried him to victory with an 85.3 percent win rate on first serves (29 of 34). Cazaux also saved both break points he faced.
No. 8 seed Yunchaokete Bu of China outlasted Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (1), 6-3.
Another German, Dominik Koepfer, found better luck in getting past French wild card Gregoire Barrere 6-4, 7-6 (5). Koepfer rallied out of a 4-1 hole in the second set and saved a set point before taking control of the tiebreaker.
–Field Level Media
