Czech rising star Jakub Mensik beat Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-2 in their first head-to-head match to reach the second round at the Playa Laguna Open Umag.
Mensik saved all four break points. The teenager earned his first break in the eighth game to win the first set 6-3.
The Czech player converted his fourth break point in the first game of the second set and held serve at 15 in the second game to open up a 2-0 lead.
Mensik broke for the second time in the fifth game to open up a 4-1 lead and served out the win on his third match point in the eighth game.
Mensik improved his win-loss record to 13-10 this season.
Popyrin recently pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets at Wimbldaon.
Mensik will face in the second round against either Luciano Darderi and Duje Ajdukovic, who pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets in the Bastad semifinal.
Flavio Cobolli beat Mariano Navone 6-2 6-3 in 1 hour and 25 minutes to move up to world number 46 in the ATP Ranking. Cobolli hit 16 winners to Navone’s 5 and won 74% of his first serve points.
Cobolli did not convert a break point in the first game, but he broke serve in the fourth game on the first of his two opportunities. Cobolli broke again in the eighth game on his second set point to seal the first set 6-2.
Both players earned break points, but they went on serve until the eighth game, when Cobolli broke serve to take a 5-3 lead. The Italian player closed out the first set on his second match point.
Lorenzo Sonego battled past 20-year-old Croatian player Mili Poljicak 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (11-9) in 3 hours and 16 minutes. Poljicak won the Wimbledon Junior title in 2022. Sonego set up a second round match against Alexandre Muller, who beat Matteo Arnaldi.
Poljicak saved an early break point in the first game with a forehand. Sonego broke twice in the fifth and seventh games to seal the first set 6-2.
Poljicak converted his second break point in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. The Croatian player earned a chance to serve for the set at 5-4. Sonego broke back to draw level to 5-5, as Poljicak made a forehand error. Sonego saved a set point in the 12th game, but Poljicak earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-1.
Both players went on serve until the 12th game en route to tie-break. Sonego went up a 5-2 lead in the tie-break, but Poljicak won four consecutive points to take a 6-5 lead, as Sonego suffered from cramps. Sonego saved the first match point. Poljicak earned a second match point, but Sonego saved it with a forehand. Sonego won two forehand winners to seal the tie-break 11-9.
