Brandon Nakashima needed all three sets to deal with gritty Australian Jordan Thompson, ultimately prevailing 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3 in the first round of the Atlanta Open.
America's Nakashima – who took Nick Kyrgios to five sets at Wimbledon – was the highest seed in action as things kicked off on Monday, and the difference in the match proved to be his quality ground strokes.
Both players won at least 79 per cent of their successful first serves, but while Thompson's effectiveness dipped to 39 per cent on his second serve, Nakashima's stayed up at 65 per cent, only allowing two break point opportunities all match.
Nakashima will meet John Millman in the next round after Millman defeated fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-3.
Popyrin clearly had the serving advantage, winning the ace count 12-to-four, but in a match where each player only one had break of serve each, Millman found the important points when it really mattered.
Japan's Taro Daniel came back from a rough start to handle the challenge of America's Sebastian Korda 1-6 6-1 6-3.
Korda was in total control early, winning 12 of his 13 points on serve (92 per cent) in the opening set, but that number dipped sharply to 37 per cent (13-of-35) as Daniel turned the match on its head and found a way to counterpunch the American.
The last singles contest saw Kwon Soon-woo win a hard-fought clash with Marcos Giron 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-5. The match was so closely contested that Kwon won 51 per cent of the total points (104-of-204), while Giron won 49 per cent (100-of-204).
Meanwhile, Kyrgios was the biggest name in action, taking the doubles court in his Australian Open-winning partnership with Thanasi Kokkinakis, defeating Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (10-8) 6-3.
Osaka eliminated by Samsonova in Madrid
Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the Madrid Open by Liudmila Samsonova after an entertaining second-round battle on Thursday.
Having won her first match on clay for two years against Greet Minnen a day earlier, Osaka was able to force a final set against 15th seed Samsonova but ultimately fell to defeat.
Samsonova won a close encounter 6-2 4-6 7-5 to book a clash with American Madison Keys – who defeated Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets – in the next round.
Osaka had beaten Samsonova at Indian Wells last month and came close to securing another victory as she recovered well from losing the opening set.
But the Japanese star was broken to fall 5-6 behind in the final set, and the Russian made no mistake in ruthlessly closing out the victory.
Data Debrief: Samsonova ends losing streak
This was a crucial win for Samsonova, who came into the match having lost four consecutive contests, including that Indian Wells defeat to Osaka on March 9.
Samsonova did apply plenty of pressure in the final set – forcing five break points compared to just one for Osaka – and was ultimately rewarded in the closing stages of a contest that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
Azarenka makes history with 200th WTA 1000 win
Victoria Azarenka made light work of progressing into the round of 32 at the Madrid Open and she made history in the progress.
Azarenka, a two-time finalist in Madrid, despatched Tatjana Maria 6-3 6-1 on Thursday.
It brought up her 200th victory at WTA 1000 events, which makes her the first woman to hit that milestone since the format was introduced in 2009.
The former world number one needed just 81 minutes on court to get the job done, and will face Sara Sorribes Tormo in the next round.
Data Debrief
This was Azarenka's first meeting with Maria, and her service game was excellent, with the Belarusian winning 63.2 per cent of her first-serve points. She also saved five break points, having offered up seven, and converted six going the other way.
Azarenka, who has won 10 WTA 1000 events, is 14 clear of next-best Simona Halep (186) on the list of women with the most WTA 1000 match wins.
Raducanu stunned by qualifier Carle in Madrid
Maria Lourdes Carle made a splash at the Madrid Open on Wednesday, as the qualifier sent Emma Raducanu packing.
World number 82 Carle stepped into the void to fill in for Karolina Pliskova, who withdrew prior to the end of the qualifying rounds, to face 2021 US Open champion Raducanu.
It is just the second time Carle has reached the main draw of a WTA 1000 event, and she ensured it would be a memorable campaign after a 6-2 6-2 victory over Raducanu, who is now ranked at world number 221, though has enjoyed something of a return to form this season.
Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Grand Prix last week, going down to world number one Iga Swiatek, but has recently enjoyed victories over the likes of Angelique Kerber and Caroline Garcia.
Data Debrief
Carle is the first player from Argentina to defeat a former women's singles grand slam Champion since Nadia Podoroska overcame Serena Williams in Rome in 2021.
The 24-year-old is making just her sixth WTA main draw appearance, with her first WTA 1000 appearance having come in Miami in March.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
