Top seed Gael Monfils stayed on course for a third ATP title with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over friend and fellow Frenchman Josselin Ouanna in their SA Tennis Open second-round tie on Thursday.
Paris-born Monfils, who has won tournaments in Poland and his homeland, is ranked 13th in the world, 108 places above Ouanna from the town of Tours, 200km southwest of the French capital. That huge gap was never evident at the Montecasino Entertainment Centre, however, as Monfils took 79 minutes to subdue his former French tennis academy roommate.
Monfils, who is hoping to emulate compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and collect the US$80,000 first prize tomorrow, triumphed because he served better and produced several timely top-drawer strokes, but it was not a vintage performance from the 23-year-old Frenchman, who committed 37 unforced errors in perfect conditions after rain and thunder forced an afternoon delay.
While the potent Monfils service delivered 12 aces, he would have been concerned by six double-faults ahead of a last-eight duel against Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun.
“It was tough playing against someone I once shared a room with and I am happy to have succeeded,” Monfils said.
The other three second round ties were also settled in straight sets, with seeds David Ferrer (No. 2) of Spain, Lu (No. 7) and India Davis Cup star Somdev Devverman progressing.
■ZAGREB INDOORS
AP, ZAGREB
Defending champion Marin Cilic cruised into the quarter-finals of the Zagreb Indoors on Thursday by defeating Daniel Koellerer of Austria 6-2, 6-1.
The top-seeded Croat dropped only seven points on serve and after two matches at the tournament, Cilic has spent only 1 hour, 57 minutes on court.
It has been a good season for the 22-year-old Cilic so far. He won the ATP tournament in Chennai, India, last month and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open last week.
Cilic will next face another local player in Ivo Karlovic, who defeated French qualifier Alexandre Sidorenko 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8).
Lukas Lacko of Slovakia also reached the quarter-finals, ousting 2006 champion Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5).
Lacko will play Philipp Petzschner of Germany, who defeated compatriot Benjamin Becker 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6) after saving match point in the third-set tie-breaker.
Germany’s Michael Berrer also advanced after beating Croatia’s Petar Jelenic 6-4, 6-3.
■MOVISTAR OPEN
AP, SANTIAGO
Third-seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil won a three-hour match against Chile’s Paul Capdeville 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Movistar Open in Santiago.
In Thursday’s other matches, second-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina beat compatriot Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 7-5, while Peter Luczak of Australia also advanced to the quarter-finals, beating David Marrero of Spain 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
Former champion Jose Acasuso of Argentina retired injured during his second-round match. Acasuso won the first set from Eduardo Schwank 7-6 (7/3), but was injured in the second and retired hurt.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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