Cincinnati Open: Ruusuvuori moves to third round; Monfils, Zverev, Wawrinka among winners in first round

Cincinnati [US], August 16 (ANI): Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori earned his fourth top 10 win after he beat World number eight Andrey Rublev in a marathon battle at the ongoing Cincinnati Open on Tuesday night that lasted over three hours to advance to round three. 

He beat Rublev by 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(3) in a three-hour, 16-minute match. 

With this victory, he avenged a four-set loss to Rublev at this year’s Australian opener and also registered his first win against the seventh seed after losing two matches. 

The 24-year-old has set for himself a match against Australian Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16. 

Rublev entered this North American hard court tournament with hopes of claiming a berth at the ATP Finals, but after disappointing opening round exits in Toronto and in here, he has given the other players a big chance of displacing him from sixth position in ATP Live Rankings. 

Gael Monfils also continued his momentum after a quarterfinal finish at the Toronto Open, registering a win over Briton Cameron Norrie in his first-round match. 

He beat Norrie by 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. 

During the first set, the 36-year-old received treatment on his left calf, but he did not let it stop him from producing a comeback after the first-set loss to clinch the match in two hours and three minutes.

“I tried to keep it very simple with my game. I think the ATP physio came on the court and did a great job, not only did the treatment but he managed to secure my head. He said it would be fine and this meant the world for me. With what I have been through, it is always tough to give up with injury. But I fought. Felt good and had good wins last week and had the confidence to do it,” said Monfils as quoted by ATP. 

Monfils had arrived in Washington with just one tour-level win this year at the start of this month, but after a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto and here against Norrie, his record has improved to 2-6 this season. 

The former World No. 6, whose best performance in Cincinnati was a quarter-final finish back in 2011, will next meet Toronto finalist Alex de Minaur or American J.J. Wolf.

Also, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina continued his solid run of form by beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-3 and moved to round two. Having reached his second Masters 1000 semifinal just last week in Toronto, he will next play Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati, who he beat in a shocker en route to Monte Carlo final last year. 

Lorenzo Musetti also reached round two, beating Washington champion  Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-3. The 21-year-old Musetti is set to play Daniil Medvedev, the third seed in the second round. Evans has experienced a downward trajectory in form after winning Washington, exiting in the first round in Toronto and Cincinnati. 

Taylor Fritz also reached the second round after clinching a thrilling 19-minute tie-break on Tuesday against Czech’s Jiri Lehecka.

Fritz beat Lehecka by 7-6(14), 6-2 in a one-hour, 44-minute match in hot conditions.

An ATP Finalist last year, Fritz sits ninth in ATP Live Rankings and will be aiming to close the gap on eighth-placed Casper Ruud and seventh Holger Rune. He also leads Lehecka 3-0 in head-to-head matches and will next play either Lorenzo Sonego or qualifier Alexander Shevchenko.

Fritz has a 29 wins-eight losses record this season, having won titles at Delray Beach and Atlanta.

The reigning champion Borna Coric also started off his title defence with a win over American Sebastian Korda by 7-6(5), 6-4 in a match played over two days. 

“I was a little nervous coming into the match as I know I need to defend my title, so I put a little more expectation on myself,” Coric said as quoted by ATP. “I have watched many of [Korda’s] matches at the Australian Open and know him quite well,” he added. 

Former world number 3 Stan Wawrinka was also on the verge of a win against Brandon Nakashima when rain stopped play on Monday and he completed a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 win on Tuesday to move to round two. 

Tommy Paul, currently at number 13 in ATP Rankings, also beat Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 7-6(2) in one hour and 54 minutes and he joined compatriot Fritz in the second round. 

Paul has a perfect 9-0 record at hard court this season and will play  Ugo Humbert after the lefty defeated Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

In a match between two former Cincinnati champions, Alexander Zverev beat Grigor Dimitrov. 

The 16th-seed from Germany beat Dimitrov by 6-2, 6-2 and extended his match-winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 events to six matches. 

“I think I adjusted to the conditions a bit better and maybe was a bit more patient than him as well, but always when you play against Grigor, especially in the early rounds, it is very dangerous. He is somebody that hits the ball very hard, a very aggressive player, and you have to be there all the time. I was, from start to finish, and I am very happy with that,” said Zverev. 

Now, Zverev will be facing Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in round two. It was his first hard-court win against a Top 20-ranked player this season in four attempts. Zverev, a two-time ATP Finalist and 10th in ATP Live Rankings, seeks sixth run at the season finale this year.