Sixth-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France on Tuesday rallied past James Duckworth of Australia 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) to advance to the second round of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The 28-year-old Mannarino was the only seeded player in action and voiced his displeasure over playing on a side court and the condition of Newport’s grass surface.
“I feel relieved that I won the match, but still I didn’t enjoy any minute on the court,” he said. “The court is just ridiculously bad. We’re playing [next to] the other court. You’ve got the camera, the microphone on the court. You can’t really move. This is really not respectful for the players to come, that kind of court.”
Qualifier Frank Dancevic of Canada beat American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-4 on center court in a match that ended a few minutes after Mannarino’s victory.
Also on Tuesday, wild card Stefan Kozlov beat Benjamin Becker, 6-1, 6-2; qualifier Brian Baker outlasted fellow American Austin Krajicek, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; and John-Patrick Smith ousted Jordan Thompson, 6-4, 6-4. Marco Chiudinelli edged Alex Kuznetsov, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), Sam Groth beat Michal Przysienzny, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4; and Yuichi Sugita defeated Amir Weintraub, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
SWEDISH OPEN
AP, BASTAD, Sweden
Former finalist Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday saved all five break points he faced in beating Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Swedish Open.
Verdasco, who won his seventh ATP title in Bucharest in April, has reached the quarter-finals or better five times in Bastad, including the 2013 final. He next faces Spanish compatriot Albert Montanes, a winner of six clay-court titles, and who handed Elias Ymer of Sweden his 10th consecutive main draw loss, 6-4, 6-2.
Other winners included Taro Daniel of Japan, who downed seventh-seeded Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-4, 6-2, Gastao Elias of Portugal, Dustin Brown of Germany, and Roberto Carballes of Spain.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
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