Qualifier Adrian Mannarino over-powered fifth seed Kevin Anderson with unexpected ease at the Heineken Open ATP tournament yesterday, eliminating the South African 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round.
In a match that went on just past the hour mark, the left-handed Frenchman impressed with a ruthless serve, while having no difficulty returning Anderson’s best efforts.
Service breaks in the third and ninth games gave Mannarino the first set and another break in the sixth game of the second set was enough to wrap up the match.
Mannarino will meet Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round after the Spaniard rallied from a set down to beat Igor Kunitsyn of Russia 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. In contrast to the ease of Mannarino’s win, eighth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber required three sets to defeat Swiss qualifier Stephane Bohli 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Kohlschreiber, ranked 42nd in the world, broke the 218th-ranked Bohli twice in the first set while losing his own serve once.
The second set went with serve until Bohli broke in the 10th game to ensure the match went to a decider.
Bohli was at 3-2 and break point in the third before Kohlschreiber rallied to save the game and break the Swiss in the next game.
“It was a tough challenge today, but I am happy to get through and I know that each day there is more energy coming back.” said Kohlschreiber, who only arrived in New Zealand from Doha on Sunday.
Kohlschreiber plays Ryan Harrison in the second round after the American beat compatriot Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-3.
Meanwhile, New Zealand media reported that a spectator was ejected from the tournament, with the Tennis Integrity Unit investigating possible illegal betting.
Radio Sports said the New Zealand man was seen using a hand-held device, possibly to bet on specific points and take advantage of the several-second delay before other gamblers saw the points played on television.
At last week’s women’s tournament at the same venue, a Spanish man, who reportedly had been previously ejected from Wimbledon, was asked to leave the event.
Radio Sports said more than NZ$2,500 (US$1,990) in bets were placed on the tournament in London, an unusually large amount.
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