Former Roland Garros semifinalist Marco Cecchinato upset two-time Next Gen Finals runner-up and number 25 Alex De Minaur 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 6-0 to reach the second round at the French Open.
De Minaur rallied from 0-40 down to break serve in the third game of the opening set. Cecchinato broke straight back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. De Minaur earned another break from 40-15 down in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. Cecchinato broke back at love in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. After another trade of breaks the first set came down to the tie-break. Cecchinato took a 4-2 lead in the tie-break, but De Minaur won the next two points to draw level to draw level to 4-4. Cecchinato saved two set points. The Italian player earned two set points on De Minaur’s serve but he did not convert them. Cecchinato sealed the tie-break 11-9 on his third set point.
De Minaur saved a break point in the first game of the second set to hold his serve at deuce before breaking serve at 15 in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Cecchinato broke straight back in the third game to draw level to 2-2. In the eighth game Cecchinato saved four break points to hold serve after seven deuces to draw level to 4-4. Cecchinato converted his 11th break point in a 34-point marathon game after 20 minutes to win the second set 6-4.
Cecchinato broke three times in a row to take a bagel win in the third set.
Cecchinato will face the winner of the all-Argentine clash between Federico Delbonis and Juan Ignacio Londero.
Another Italian player Stefano Travaglia cruised past Spain’s Pablo Andujar 6-3 6-4 6-4 in 2 hours and 23 minutes. Travaglia will face Kei Nishikori, who edged Daniel Evans 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-3) 1-6 6-4 after 3 hours and 49 minutes.
Evans broke three times in the first, fifth and seventh games to win the first set 6-1. Nishikori won the second set by the same scoreline with three consecutive breaks.
Nishikori took a 5-2 lead in the third set with a break in the second set. The Japanese player wasted two set points. Evans won four consecutive games with two breaks in the 9th and 11th games to take a 6-5 lead. Nishikori broke straight back in the 12th game to force the set to the tie-break. Nishikori won the tie-break 7-3. Evans broke twice in the second and sixth games to win the fourth set 6-1.
Nishikori broke in the second game to build up a 3-0 lead in the fifth set. Evans broke back in the fifth game. Both players went on serve until the 10th game, where Nishikori converted his second break point from 40-30 down to claim the fifth set 6-4.
“I think I was rushing too much in the first set. With his slice, I think I was trying to hit the winner too early. I was little more patient in the second set onwards. Things start working well for me, because in the first set I was rushing too much and I did not feel well. It was raining heavily. I started playing better. There were many ups and downs, but I think I managed well in the end”, said Nishikori.
