Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz edged past Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos 6-2 6-3 in 1 hour and 38 miinutes at the Playa Laguna Croatia Open in Umag to advance to his eighth break point this season.
It was not an easy match as the result suggests. Akcaraz fended off seven break points and converted four of his eleven break points.
Alcaraz earned the first break in the opening game and saved five break points in the second game and another chance in the fourth game before converting his third break point in the seventh game to close out the first set 6-3.
Gombos saved a total of three break points in the first and sixth games of the second set. Alcaraz sealed the win with a break on his sixth opportunity in the ninth game.
“It was a really tough match. It wasn’t as easy as the result seems. Norbert played a really good game and the first round of every tournament is never easy, so I had to get used to the conditions. It was tough for me, but at the end I found a way to play better and get the game”, said Alcaraz.
Marco Cecchinato upset last week’s Hamburg champion Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-3 in all-Italian head-to-head clash.
Cecchinato earned his first break in the second game after two break points and an unforced error from Musetti to take a 2-0 lead. Musetti broke back in the third game after three consecutive forehand errors from Cecchinato.
Musetti earned his second break in the fifth game to win his third consecutive game for 3-2. Cecchinato won three games in a row to take a 5-3 lead and sealed the first set 6-4 with another break in the 10th game.
Cecchinato went up a 3-0 lead in the second set with a break in the secnd game. Musetti stopped Cecchinato’s winning streak of five consecutive games. The set went on serve until the ninth game, when Cecchinato earned tw match points. Musetti saved the first match point with a backhand passing shot, but Cecchinato selead the win on his second opportunity.
Cecchinato converted all four of his break points to stop Musetti’s six-match point. The former Roland Garros semifinal set up a quarter final clash against another Italian player Franco Agamennone, who came back from one set down to beat Sebastian Baez 3-6 6-1 7-5.
