There was no birthday victory for Lu Yen-hsun at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday as the Taiwanese No. 1 exited in the third round to 15th seed Fabio Fognini.
Lu, the world No. 43 who was celebrating his 31st birthday on Thursday, saved five of eight break-point chances, but could only convert one of 10 as he slumped to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat to the world No. 21 in 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Lu was due to travel north to take part in next week’s Winston-Salem Open ahead of the US Open, while Fognini faces Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals. Raonic defeated the US’ Steve Johnson 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, Tommy Robredo shocked world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, but Roger Federer avoided an upset again Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Spain’s Robredo, seeded 16th in the US Open tune-up, sent top-seeded Djokovic packing 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, the defeat coming a week after the Serb was beaten in the third round at Toronto.
The Wimbledon champion now goes into the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year which starts on Aug. 25, well short of matches and confidence.
Second-seeded Federer, a five-time Cincinnati champion, held off Monfils 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
He booked a tough quarter-final against eighth-seeded Scot Andy Murray, who battled more than two hours against the huge serve of John Isner, finally dispatching the American 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
Federer had a rare show of temper late in the match, arguing with the chair umpire over a decision not to call on electronic line-calling on a particular point.
However, Federer quickly recovered his poise, clinching the match with a service winner after breaking Monfils in the penultimate game.
Robredo next faces sixth-seeded compatriot David Ferrer — a 7-5, 6-0 winner over Mikhail Youzhny.
Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, the third seed, rallied to beat Croatian Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
He is to play France’s Julien Benneteau, who beat Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-1.
In women’s action in the combined ATP and WTA event, defending champion Serena Williams continued her march through the draw, beating Italian 13th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-2.
Williams is next to play eighth seed Jelena Jankovic, who beat Sloane Stephens 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
Also through was world No 2 and second seed Simona Halep, a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Czech Lucie Safarova.
Halep earned a mouth-watering rematch with fifth-seeded Sharapova, who beat fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
Ukrainian teenager Elina Svitolina, who took out double Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the second round, claimed her second seeded victim with a defeat of Spain’s No. 15 Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
She is next to face former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic, a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 winner over Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland cruised past Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-1 and will take on Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
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