Former top-10 player Kevin Anderson has kicked-off his return from injury with a 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 6-4 loss to Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in the first round of the Memphis Open.
The South African was playing his first match of the season after missing the first month of the tour due to an hip injury. He was on course for a straight set win after leading 7-6(6), 2-0, before his Bosnian rival battled back to edge him out in a 158-minute encounter.
“This win means a lot really, especially because it was against [Kevin] Anderson, who was a former Top 10 player. It was a great match for me. I was fighting very well. I found that positive energy after losing a set and a break down to win the match.” Dzhumur told atpwrodltour.com.
.@DzumhurDamir sees off Kevin Anderson in a great @memphisopen battle.
Still plenty more to come tonight from Tennessee 🎸🎾 pic.twitter.com/nlVoK6G6fh
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) 14 February 2017
Anderson has been marred by injury since reaching his first major quarter-final at the 2015 US Open. Last year he underwent surgery on both his ankle and shoulder, forcing him to miss almost three months of the tour. He was also troubled by a left knee problem prior to a hip injury sidelining him earlier this year.
Former Wimbledon junior champion Reilly Opelka fired 15 aces to overcome compatriot Jared Donaldson 6-1, 7-5, in his first round match. Opelka, who is ranked 80 places below Donaldson, staged an impressive comeback in the second set by winning five consecutive games after trailing 2-5.
Opelka will play another American in the second round, Donald Young. The 27-year-old produced the first upset of the tournament when he knocked out French sixth seed Adrian Mannarino 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). Young trailed the match by a set and a break and was broken at the start of the deciding set before fighting back to secure the win.
21-year-old Yoshihito Nishioka progressed to the last 16 of the tournament after overcoming Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 6-4.
This year will see a new champion at the Memphis tournament, which is in its 42nd edition. Kei Nishikori, who has won the title four years in a row, has opted to play at the Argentina Open instead. Ivo Karlovic and John Isner are the top two seeds.
