Last year’s Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev made a winning start to his campaign at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Denis Istomin in one hour and 21 minutes.
Zverev, who received a wild card from the organizers, of Grand Prix Hassan II, earned nine break point chances and broke once in each set. The German player earned a break point in the first game but Istomin saved it to hold his service game. Zverev converted his second break point chance in the third game with a drop shot and closed out the first set 6-4 with an ace.
Istomin saved three break points in the second set (two in the first game and one in the third gane, but Zverev converted his second break point in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. The German player fended off three break points to hold his serve in the eighth game for 5-3 and served out the win on his first match point with a drop shot.
Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely beat Fabio Fognini 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in 1 hour and 46 minutes to score his second consecutive win over the Italian player. Vesely saved three of the four break points he faced and converted two of his seven break points to score his third win this season.
Vesely saved two break points to hold his service game after four deuces in the fifth game. Fognini fended off one break point in the sixth game and two set points on return in the 10th game. Both players held their service games setting up a tie-break. Fognini earned an early mini-break, but Vesely won three points on Fognini’s serve to seal the tie-break 7-2 after a spectacular tweener.
Vesely earned a double break in the third and fifth games to race out a 5-1 lead and served for the match at 5-2. Fognini got a break back in the eighth game and held his serve at love to close the gap to 4-5, but Vesely served out the win on his first match point in the tenth game with an ace. Vesely will face Argentina’s Ignacio Londero.
Fognini lost for the eighth game in 12 matches this season.
“As expected it was a tough match. Fabio is unpredictable and he can play top 5 level. I was a bit nervous when he started unbelievably well at 5-1 in the second set. I am coming back from a few injuries, so I still need to build my confidence and this is obviously a very important win”,said Vesely.
Adrian Menendez Maceiras came back from one set down to upset Fernando Verdasco 5-7 6-2 6-2 after 2 hours and 31 minutes. Menendez Maceiras converted five of his twenty-two break points.
Phillip Kohlschreiber edged 19-year-old Spanish player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7-4) 7-5. Kohlschreiber went down 1-5 but he bounced back by winning six consecutive games to win the second set 7-5 after saving two set points.
Robin Haase saw off Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri 6-3 6-4. The Dutch player dropped 13 points in ten service games and broke serve once in each set.
Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego beat this year’s Rio de Janeiro champion Laslo Djere 6-3 6-3 in 80 minutes to score the fifth ATP win of his career. The young Italian player saved two break points he faced and broke serve three times.
