Montreal: Alex de Minaur blew through the opening set but needed some good luck in the second to emerge with a 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) opening win over James Duckworth at the ATP Montreal Masters.
De Minaur, seeded third, hasn’t lost to a fellow Aussie in four years, but he was made to work hard by his 86th-ranked compatriot to keep that streak alive.
The second-round match turned in an instant in the second-set tiebreaker when a return which rolled off the top of the net handed de Minaur a match point after he saved six set points for his opponent.
In other second-round action, China’s Shang Juncheng — only just returned from months away because of injury — scored the first notable upset of the week with 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) defeat of 10th seed Andrey Rublev.
Shang saved five match points on his way to the third round, breaking Rublev as he served for the match at 5-3 in the third and hanging on to win a seven-deuce service game.
Former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas regained some of the touch lost during a recent rankings slump, with the high-profile qualifier dispatching Martin Damm 6-4, 6-4 in a first-round match delayed by rain.
The 98-minute victory sends Tsitsipas into a match with Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
The 53rd-ranked Tsitsipas, winner last month in Gstaad, said that his latest coaching split from his father, Apostolos, is paying off.
Hubert Hurkacz, a 2022 finalist in Montreal who is coming back from a knee injury suffered at Wimbledon, beat Marcos Giron 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
Britain’s Jakob Fearnley, who reached the final of a hard court Challenger last month, advanced past French veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, overcoming more than 30 unforced errors to book a meeting with 13th seeded Czech Jakub Mensik.
Fellow Brit Jack Draper shed bitter tears as his latest injury comeback collapsed in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 loss to France’s Terrance Atmane, who delivered an ace on match point. Agencies
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