Gianluca Mager has kicked off his season with a hard fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, win over Ryan Harrison at the Delray Beach Open on Wednesday.
The Italian, who is currently ranked 101, took on Harrison who was attempting to make a come back after missing the last two years due to injury and surgery. He actually needed a wild card to get into the event as he was currently ranked around 450 in the world. Meanwhile, Mager was coming off a big year that even saw him beat world number 5 Dominic Thiem in South America.
Harrison got off to the faster start holding the opening service game and in the next game earning his first breakpoint of the match when the Italian would double fault.
Mager would save both doing a good job forcing the errors from his American opponent moving him around the court. It would stay on serve and we wouldn’t see another break point until 2-3 when the Italian would make two straight errors to gift Harrison the first break of the match.
He would consolidate the break and serve out the first set to take it 6-3 which gave the American the momentum and it showed early in the second set when in the first game he had a look at another break point but Mager would save it with another big serve.
Mager would end up saving three breakpoints in the first game of the second set before being able to hold serve. The Italian got his first chance to break setting up a breakpoint with a beautiful backhand winner down the line.
Harrison would save the first one when Mager would make an unforced error but he would eventually break the American at the second time of asking with a cross court forehand winner to go up 2-0. Mager got some pushback from the American facing two breakpoints to go back on serve but the Italian did a good job saving both and holding serve.
Both players held their next service games at 4-1 Mager had a chance to increase his lead and just that breaking the American to go up 5-1 as his forehand went long.
Mager would serve out the second set and take it 6-1 to set up a deciding third set.
The third set stayed on serve until 2-2 when the Italian set up a breakpoint with an overhead at the net and was gifted another break when Harrison would double fault to go up 3-2. From there once again both players held serve until 5-4 when Mager was serving for the match.
The Italian unforced errors were starting to pile up and it was keeping the American in the match but Mager was staying strong as he would save both and set up a match point of his own. Harrison with the incredible fightback managed to save it and then had a third chance to break but the Italian saved that one with perfect jam serve.
Mager saved two more breakpoints and would serve out the match to take it 4-6, 6-1, and 6-4. After the match he was elated with the victory and gave his thoughts on the win.
” Unbelievable match, happy to be here and I am happy there is people here to watch tennis”. He is referencing the fact that the Delray Beach Open was able to allow a small number of spectators for the tournament this week.
Mager will now face Sam Querrey in round two after Querrey beat Mackenzie Macdonald 6-3 and 6-4.
In the other matches of the day, Tommy Paul had no problem beating Ji Sung Nam 6-1, and 6-4, and in the night session, Sebastian Korda beat Soon-Woo Kwon in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
