Top seed Ernesto Escobedo has been beaten in the second round of the Fairfield Challenger. The No.91 ranked American lost 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 to compatriot Bradley Klahn.
Klahn is making big steps in his attempts to rejoin the very top of the men’s tennis game. The American has been back in action for nearly a year since his recovery from a devastating back injury that nearly ended his career. Surgery on the injury. Surgery on his back saw him miss 21 months of tennis before he returned in Champaign last year. His win this week is significant as he will return to the Top 300 as a result.
It could get even better for Klahn, who faces 8th seed Nikola Milojevic in the quarter-finals. The Serbian won the only singles match that was finished on Wednesday against young Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4.
The other top half quarter saw surging German Maximilian Marterer had little trouble in easing past lucky loser Sekou Bangoura. The German broke four times in a 6-3, 6-2 win that was completed in one hour. Marterer has won 16 of his last 17 matches, a run that has seen him claim two Challenger titles in Banja Luka and Monterrey. Marterer will play the winner of match between Sebastian Fanselow and Michael Mmoh.
In the bottom half of the draw Christopher O’Connell but a dreadful first set behind him to defeat Tobias Kamke 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. He will face 3rd seed Bjorn Fratangelo, who defeated lucky loser Alejandro Gonzalez 7-6,7-6.
Stockton finalist Darian King’s run in Fairfield came to an abrupt end as he was thrashed by Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-1. McDonald is looking for a quick return to the Top 200, and another win this week will see him do so. He will face compatriot and 2nd seed Tennys Sandgren in the quarter-finals. Sandgren was a 7-6, 6-3 winner over Noah Rubin.
