Holder David Ferrer beat little-known Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung 6-2, 7-5 in a rain-interrupted match to reach the second round of the Den Bosch Open on Monday.
The Spanish third seed was briefly troubled by the world No. 147 as he struggled to find his rhythm on center court.
“I had the feeling that I could have won this match but I was not sharp enough at the right moments. I need to learn to take my chances,” Huta Galung said.
Ferrer will next face compatriot Oscar Hernandez, who beat Austria’s Daniel Koellerer 6-3, 6-2.
In the women’s event, holder Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand ousted the Czech Republic’s Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-3.
Tamarine will next take on another Czech, Iveta Benesova, who beat Italian Mara Santangelo 6-2, 6-3.
Local favorite and wild card entrant Michaella Krajicek, who won the tournament in 2006 but has been troubled more recently by injuries, defeated Italy’s Sara Errani 6-4, 6-2.
“I played really good and I’m totally emotional from it. I am super happy that I can show it again here,” Krajicek told Dutch TV.
Third seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy beat Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan 6-4, 6-2 while sixth seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia defeated Roberta Vinci 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but