Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev recorded a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan on Tuesday in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Medvedev had withdrawn from two recent tournaments due to fatigue and a right foot injury, making this the top-seeded Russian’s first on-court appearance since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final.
Medvedev advances to face Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who posted a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 win over Sumit Nagal of India. The latter saved two break points at 5-5 in the second before running out of steam in the third set of the 2-hour, 19-minute match.
Fourth-seeded Karen Khachanov breezed to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Frenchman Luca Van Assche.
France’s Ugo Humbert, the fifth seed, posted a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over countryman Gael Monfils and eighth-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain seized a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Fabian Marozsan of Hungary.
Movistar Chile Open
Italy’s Luciano Darderi emerged with a dramatic 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5) victory over Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis in the first round at Santiago, Chile.
In a match that lasted 3 hours, 19 minutes, each player broke serve just once, both in the second set. Darderi failed to take advantage of two match points in the second-set tiebreaker.
In the third-set tiebreaker, Darderi jumped on top 5-2. Bagnis won the next three points to pull level before Darderi won the final two points.
Earlier Tuesday, Argentine qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo upset fifth-seeded Yannick Hanfmann of Germany 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Eighth-seeded Jaume Munar blitzed Spanish countryman Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4, 6-1.
In an all-Chilean matchup, Tomas Barrios Vera defeated Cristian Garin 7-6 (3), 7-5. Other first-round winners were Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante, Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Eighth-seeded Frances Tiafoe rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Australia’s Max Purcell in the first round at Acapulco, Mexico.
Purcell had statistical advantages in winners (29-23), aces (11-4) and fewer unforced errors (11 to Tiafoe’s nine), but Tiafoe came through in the key moments, saving seven of the eight break points on his serve.
Second-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark blasted U.S. qualifier Michael Mmoh 6-2, 6-3, and fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece blitzed Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-4. Sixth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway edged the United States’ Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3. Germany’s Dominik Koepfer eliminated French qualifier Terence Atmane 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Three late matches were on the Tuesday schedule, led by top-seeded Alexander Zverev opposing German countryman Daniel Altmaier.
–Field Level Media
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