Last year’s finalist Nick Kyrgios got his delayed clay season off to a winning start on Wednesday to set up an ATP showdown with Croatian teenager Borna Coric at the Estoril Open.
The Australian, who has not competed since an April 1 Miami semi-final, made his Portuguese return as he beat Spain’s Inigo Cervantes 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 in the second round following a bye.
He earned the victory in 72 minutes on his 21st birthday to set up the high-profile first-time meeting with Croatian 19-year-old Coric.
Photo: EPA
Kyrgios expressed some disinterest in his victory after being feted post-match on court with a video of birthday messages from family and friends.
“I can think of 50 things I’d rather be doing today rather than playing a match,” he said.
“That was one of the best presents I’ve ever had. It was pretty much everyone I’m good friend with or are family,” he said of the video. “It means a lot that they are supporting me.”
Kyrgios is back at this seaside resort outside of Lisbon after winning the first trophy of his career in February in Marseille, France.
The world No. 20 claimed his 15th victory of the season as he broke in the 11th game of the second set and finished a game later on the first of his three match points. He ended with nine aces.
“There were not many rallies, this was not a very high-quality match,” he said. “The quarter-final with Borna will be tough, as he’s playing well.”
“All I did today was serve well, that’s what I’ve been doing the last few months,” he added.
Coric had to go the two-hour distance as he held off a charge from Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
The sixth-seed duplicated his showing from a year ago on his debut when he moved into the last eight.
“I was happy with how I played in the first set, but in the second set, his level rose and I realized I was playing too passively,” Coric said. “In the third I went back more offense. The quarter-final with Nick will be tough and I’m not favored, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going out there to fight and to try and win.”
Coric looked like advancing in straight sets against 101st-ranked Dutra Silva, but he lost his way as he dropped serve to trail 4-5 in the second set after earning the first.
The Brazilian leveled at a set each, but faded in the third as Coric fought back to stake his claim on victory through five aces and the same number of service breaks.
Coric stood just 13-11 this season, despite finals in Chennai, India, and Marrakesh, Morocco.
Third seed Benoit Paire beat Briton Kyle Edmund 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3, while Spain’s fifth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez advanced into the quarters as he defeated Stephane Robert of France 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
In the first round, Spanish wild-card Fernando Verdasco, who replaced injured Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, made only a token 58-minute showing as he lost his first-round match to eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-3.
Verdasco, ranked 51st after once standing inside the ATP top 10, only arrived on Tuesday after winning a rain-delayed final in Bucharest on Monday for the seventh title of his career.
“Conditions here were difficult and Pablo put me under a lot of pressure,” the Spaniard said. “I did what I could, but it would have been tough for me to win today.”
“When you are not at 100 percent and are facing a good player, these things can happen,” he said. “Coming here so late after the final did not help me.”
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS