Tommy Paul reached the second round at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow with a 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 win over Mikael Ymer after 1 hour and 57 minutes.
Paul broke Ymer’s serve four times and won 44% of his return points. The US player set up a second round match against two-time Kremlin Cup champion Marin Cilic, who beat Damir Dzumhur.
The world number 54 beat Andrey Rublev in Indian Wells en route to reaching the fourth round in a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career.
Ilya Marchenko saved two break points in his 6-4 6-3 win over Alexander Bublik. Marchenko will face John Millman.
Adrian Mannarino came back from one set down to beat Roman Safiulin 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 after 2 hours and 32 minutes. Rublev won his only previous head-to-head match against Mannarino in the Kremlin Cup final in 2019.
Egor Gerasimov egded past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 1-6 6-4.
Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov beat an all-Australian team formed by Luke Saville and John Patrick Smith 6-2 7-5 to advance to the quarter finals in the doubles tournament.
Last week Rublev reached the Indian Wells doubles final with another partner Aslan Karatsev. Khachanov and Rublev have reached two Masters 1000 finals in Miami 2018 and Paris Bercy in 2019.
“I have played with Karen so many times and we have got used to each other. We have known each other since we were kids. We know each other perfectly. With Aslan, it’s different. In my opinion, I think Aslan plays doubles the best of all of us, the way he thinks, the way he returns, plays with the volleys. He knows more how to play more like a doubles player compared to all of us. I think he is a great player who can play really good in doubles”, said Rublev.
