ATP Estoril: Reilly Opelka makes winning start. Alex de Minaur bows out
Guido Andreozzi has made winning start in Estoril, ousting Hugo Dellien 6-3, 6-3 in 69 minutes for the fifth ATP victory of the season. Both players landed around 70% of the first serve in and it was the Argentinian who drew the most from it, facing two break points and suffering just one break of serve. Dellien was nowhere near that pace, making too many errors and dropping almost half of the points behind the initial shot, offering eight break points to Andreozzi and getting broken four times. Guido settled into a nice rhythm right from the start, serving well and breaking Hugo in game two to carry the lead home for a 6-3.
The Bolivian stayed in touch until 2-2 in set number two before the Argentinian shifted into a higher gear to grab four of the next five games and secure the triumph in just over an hour. Yoshihito Nishioka took down Mackenzie McDonald 6-2, 6-4 in 68 minutes after a dominant display on both serve and return. The Japanese lost nine points in nine service games, pushing Mackenzie to the limits on the return as well to secure four breaks from as many chances. Nishioka was the only player on the court in the opening set, controlling the pace behind the initial shit and breaking the American in games three and seven for a 6-2.
They traded breaks in games five and six in set number two after a little bit better performance from McDonald who suffered a crucial break in the seventh game to push Nishioka closer to the finish line. A hold at love in game ten propelled Yoshihito into the last 16, happy with the way he performed in the opening match of the tournament. Despite twisting his ankle in the opening game of the encounter, Pedro Sousa gave his best in front of the home fans against Reilly Opelka who prevailed 7-6, 6-4 in an hour and 24 minutes. The American landed 13 aces and gave away just 16 points in 11 service games for a single break that he erased with a couple of his own that helped him to cross the finish line and advance into the second round.
Sousa saved three break points in the opening set to reach a tie break that Reilly claimed 7-2 after winning all four return points. The Portuguese bounced back at the beginning of the second set, taking 12 of the first 13 points for a 3-0 advantage before Opelka recovered his shots to win all but one point on serve by the end of the match. Sousa couldn't follow that pace, getting broken in games five and nine and allowing Reilly to seal the deal with four winners at 5-4. Competing in only the fifth match after the Australian Open, the 6th seed Alex de Minaur suffered a tough loss against a qualifier Joao Domingues who ousted him 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in an hour and 55 minutes.
World no. 214 served at 75% and fended off six out of eight break points to keep the pressure on the youngster who will need some time to regain form, offering his rival 11 break chances and losing serve four times. Domingues had the upper hand in the decider, losing only five points on serve and securing two breaks to move over the finish line and celebrate the seventh ATP win in a career.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2WcCYry
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