Corentin Moutet of France saved two match points before rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the UniCredit Firenze Open on Monday in Florence, Italy.
Cobolli led the second set 5-4 and jumped ahead 40-15 before Moutet won four straight points to tie the game. He used five aces and won seven of 11 break points to complete his comeback.
The only seeded player in action was No. 5 seed Aslan Karatsev of Russia, who was leading 6-3, 2-1 when Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor retired.
Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain, Turkish qualifier Altug Celikbilek and American J.J. Wolf also advanced to the second round.
Gijon Open
Austrian Dominic Thiem needed just under 62 minutes to dispatch Portugal’s Joao Sousa in a first-round match in Spain.
Thiem is still playing on a protected ranking as he comes back from a wrist injury. The 2020 U.S. Open champion never faced break point and won 19 of 23 first-service points (82.6 percent).
No. 5 seed Tommy Paul of the U.S. also had an easy day, beating Spanish wild card Martin Landaluce 6-3, 6-0. Seventh seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina retired due to leg pain, allowing France’s Constant Lestienne to advance. Lestienne was up 7-6 (5), 4-4 at the time.
France’s Arthur Rinderknech and Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro also won their matches.
–Field Level Media
