Top-seeded Steve Johnson advanced to the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships quarter-finals on Wednesday, beating Japan’s Yuichi Sugita, 6-1, 6-4.
Coming off a career-best finish in a Grand Slam, the 26-year-old Johnson needed just 20 minutes to win the first set and 59 to close the match. It was his first on Newport’s grass this week after the top four seeds were given byes.
Johnson was one of six Americans in action on Wednesday on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Photo: EPA
Defending champion Rajeev Ram, a two-time winner in Newport — also in 2009 when he won his only other career ATP tourney — lost to seventh-seeded Dudi Sela of Israel, 6-3, 6-4.
Second-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia rallied past Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Ranked No. 25 on the tour coming into the week, Johnson served an ace on the first point of the match and lost just one point in the third through fifth games of the opening set.
He had it a little tougher in the second, but continued his solid season on grass, raising his record to 11-3.
“I just served well in the first,” he said. “He returned well in the second. I just think that makes it tricky when you don’t have to play any points in the first.”
American Donald Young, the No. 8 seed, joined Johnson in advancing on Wednesday by defeating his fellow countryman Stefan Kozlov, 6-0, 6-4.
SWEDISH OPEN
AP, BASTAD, Sweden
Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday saved the only break point he faced to advance to his sixth Swedish Open quarter-final with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Albert Montanes.
The fifth-seeded Spaniard, who won his seventh ATP title in Bucharest in April, was a finalist in Bastad in 2013.
“I’m happy with my way of playing,” Verdasco said. “I knew that it would be a tough match because he’s a solid player.”
Verdasco next faces Facundo Bagnis, who ousted fourth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain 7-5, 6-3. The 32-year-old Argentine capitalized on three of his seven break point opportunities to reach his second tour-level quarter-final.
Third-seeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas prevailed over Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to face Andrea Arnaboldi in the quarter-finals.
Arnaboldi upset eighth-seeded Evgeny Donskoy of Russia 6-3, 6-2 for his third tour-level win and first quarter-final berth.
GERMAN OPEN
AP, HAMBURG, Germany
Top-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber on Wednesday needed three sets to overcome Nicolas Kicker for a place in the quarter-finals of the German Open.
Kohlschreiber rallied to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 and next plays Renzo Olivo, who defeated Maximo Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first career quarter-final.
Third-seeded Pablo Cuevas eased past Thiago Monteiro 6-2, 6-3 to reach the last eight.
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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
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