Dominic Stricker has boosted his chances of qualifying for the Next Gen Finals with a 6-2 6-4 win over Botic Van de Zandchulp after 88 minutes at the European Open in Antwerp.
Stricker, who came through the qualifying round, fended off all four break points and fired 19 winners.
Stricker opened up a 3-1 lead with a break in the third game. The young Swiss player converted his sixth break point in the seventh game to take a 5-2 lead. He saved four break points in the eighth game to hold serve at deuce for 6-4. Stricker started the second set with an early break and won his next service games to seal the second set 6-4.
Stricker has moved to 10th place in the ATP Race to Milan with 422 points, 23 ahead of Matteo Arnaldi. The Swiss player is aiming to qualify for the Next Gen Finals in Milan.
Jaume Munar came back to beat Tim Van Rijthoven 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in 2 hours and 51 minutes. The Spanish player has scored his first indoor hard-court ATP Tour win since his victory over Jiri Vesely in Astana last September.
Van Rijthoven saved two break points in the sixth and twelfth games of the first set, that went on serve en route to the tie-break. The Dutch player went up a 5-1 lead with two min-breaks. Munar won five consecutive points to take a 6-5 lead with three mini-breaks. Van Rijthoven won four of the next five points to take the tie-break 9-7.
Munar earned an early break in the first game to win the second set 6-4. Van Rijthoven broke serve in the second game and saved three break points in the fifth game to take a 5-2 lead. Munar broke back in the ninth game to draw level to 5-5. Munar needed just a mini-break to win the tie-break 7-4.
Munar set up a second round match against Yoshihito Nishioka, who rallied from one set down to beat French qualifier Luca Van Assche 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-1). Nishioka has won six of his past seven matches since his title in Seoul last month.
David Goffin battled past Gilles Arnaud Bailly 7-6 (9-7) 5-7 6-4. Bailly earned an early break in the first game to take a 1-0 lead. Goffin converted his third break-back point in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Bailly broke for the second time at love in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Goffin broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Bailly went up a mini-break for the second time to take a 3-1 lead, but Goffin pulled back on serve to draw level to 3-3. Both players went on serve until the 15th point, when Goffin earned a third mini-break to take the tie-break 9-7.
Goffin earned an early break in the first game to take a 2-0 lead. Bailly broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2, Both players went on serve until the 12th game when Bailly earned the break to win the second set 7-5.
Bailly saved five break points to hold serve at deuce in the first game of the second set. Goffin earned a break in the third game at deuce to take a 2-1 lead. Bailly broke serve in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Goffin converted his second break point in the seventh game and held his final two service games to close out the third set 6-4.
Francisco Cerundolo came back from one set down to beat this year’s Sofia Open champion Marc Andrea Huesler 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-3. Huesler earned a break in the 11th game to seal the first set 7-5. Huesler broke serve in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. Cerundoolo converted his fourth break-back point to draw level to 4-4. Cerundolo earned two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3. The third set went on serve in the first six games. Cerundolo broke twice in the seventh and ninth games to win the third set 6-3.