Two big names have moved into the second round late on Tuesday, as first round play came to an end.
Twenty-first seed John Isner ensured that Steve Johnson would not be the lone American in round two. The 6’10 server dropped a set to Australia’s Jordan Thompson, but finished strongly in the 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 result. Isner will face veteran Italian Paolo Lorenzi, who dismissed Lithuanian’s Ricardas Berankis 6-0, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round.
Isner could be considered a dark horse to do well this year. The American was a surprise semi-finalist at the Rome Masters. His run there included impressive wins over Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic.
Thirteenth seed Tomas Berdych also progessed. Like Isner the Czech dropped a set. He lost just two games in the first two sets before his opponent, Jan-Lennard Struff found his form. Berdych eventually progressed 6-1, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Berdych will face young Next Gen star Karen Khachanov in the second round. Khachanov edged qualifier Nicolas Jarry of Chile 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1.
In a match between two of the most entertaining players, Gael Monfils predictably beat Dustin Brown 6-4, 7-5, 6-0.
There was further disappointment for the local wildcards, as the last to play in the first round, Alexandre Muller, lost. He put up a good fight against Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro, but was beaten in a one-sided fifth set 7-6, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-0.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s match with Argentina’s Renzo Olivo was still ongoing. The popular Frenchman had lost the first two sets surprisingly to the No.91 player. Tsonga had however found a rich vein of form in the third set, as he looked to attempt a comeback.
