Doha : Top seed Carlos Alcaraz saved two set points before beating France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 7-6(5) in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Tuesday in Doha.
Playing his first match since completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the Spaniard was pushed hard in the second set as Rinderknech earned two opportunities to level the contest. Alcaraz, who had not faced a break point until that stage, saved both to force a tiebreak, which he edged to seal victory.
All seeded players in action progressed to the second round. Fifth seed Andrey Rublev defeated Jesper De Jong 6-4 6-3, seventh seed Karen Khachanov beat Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1 3-6 6-4, and eighth seed Jiri Lehecka overcame Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-3.
Zizou Bergs, Marton Fucsovics, Fabian Marozsan, Quentin Halys, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Zhizhen Zhang also advanced.
Delray Beach Open
At the Delray Beach Open, defending champion Miomir Kecmanovic opened his campaign with a 6-1 6-4 win over Italy’s Mattia Bellucci. The Serbian won 12 of 20 points on his opponent’s second serve and did not face a break point.
Seventh seed Brandon Nakashima edged Croatia’s Marin Cilic 7-6(4) 7-6(5). In all-American clashes, Sebastian Korda beat Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 7-5 and qualifier Zachary Svajda defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(4) 6-3.
Fifth seed Tommy Paul rallied past France’s Corentin Moutet 4-6 6-3 6-4, eventually converting match point after failing to capitalise on 10 earlier chances in the deciding set.
Rio Open
Top seed Francisco Cerundolo led a series of Argentine winners at the Rio Open in Rio de Janeiro, beating Mariano Navone 6-3 6-4. Eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry defeated Francisco Comesana 3-6 6-3 6-4, while Roman Andres Burruchaga upset fifth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3 6-4.
Second seed Luciano Darderi was eliminated by Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-1 3-6 6-4, and Portugal’s Jaime Faria knocked out fourth seed Sebastian Baez 7-5 6-1.
Third seed Joao Fonseca, Matteo Berrettini, Damir Dzumhur and Vilius Gaubas also recorded first-round victories.
