No. 8 seed David Goffin of Belgium endured an evenly-matched battle with Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi to win 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 Monday in the opening round of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, France.
Goffin rebounded from a first-set defeat and converted five of nine break-point chances to piece together a comeback, winning 82 total points to Bonzi’s 79. Bonzi was better on the serve, with six aces and three double faults compared to Goffin’s five aces and seven double faults.
In the only other Round of 32 action Monday, sixth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan won two tiebreaks to dispatch Dutch foe Tallon Griekspoor, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5). Bublik smashed 20 aces and won 43 of 49 first-service points (87.8 percent) but Griekspoor stayed in it by saving eight of nine break points.
Tata Open Maharashtra
Seventh-seeded Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania bowed out in the first round in Pune, India, as France’s Quentin Halys pulled off a 6-1, 6-2 upset.
Halys won all but two of his 25 first-service points and saved both break points he faced as he dominated Berankis, ranked No. 82 in the world.
India’s Yuki Bhambri represented the host nation well and rallied from a length first-set tiebreak to defeat Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia 6-7 (10), 6-2, 7-5, in three hours and six minutes. Another Indian competitor, Prajnesh Gunneswaran drew No. 5 seed Daniel Altmaier of Germany and fell 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Radu Albot of Moldova took down Federico Gaio of Italy, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Albot will face Altmaier in the next round.
Cordoba Open
Spain’s Jaume Munar took advantage of poor serving from Benoit Paire to upset the seventh-seventh Frenchman 6-4, 7-5 in the first round at Cordoba, Argentina.
Paire put just 38 percent of his first serves in play and dropped four of his 11 service games. Munar wasn’t spectacular with his serve either, recording no aces and six double faults, but Paire offset his six aces with six double faults.
In other first-round action, eighth-seeded Pedro Martinez of Spain, Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru and Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina also won.
–Field Level Media
