UMAG, July 21, 2015
The second part of the first round matches at the Konzum Croatia Open in Umag took place on Tuesday with eight singles encounters.
Local hero and seventh seed Borna Coric, the highest ranked Croat in the main draw at 36th position, headlined the action, beating Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-3. The 18-year-old and youngest player ranked inside the top 50 won 73% of his first service points and capitalized on four of his 11 break point chances to advance after one hour and 36 minutes.
“I played really well, especially on my serving games. I was nervous at the beginning. I have a lot of pressure here because everybody talks about me as a star,” said Coric. “Everybody expects me to win the tournament. This is something I have to deal with. Djokovic and Federer feel like this at every tournament.”
Coric will face Aljaz Bedene in the second round, who defeated Croatian wild card Mate Delic, winning 6-4, 6-3 in 75 minutes on Monday.
With Toni Androic, another tournament’s invitation didn’t make it to the second round. The 23-year-old Pula native lost his only second ATP tour-level match 2-6, 1-6 to Umag’s 2014 runner-up Joao Sousa. The world number 51 from Portugal saved eight of his nine break points he faced and capitalized on six of his own to seal victory in only 63 minutes. Sousa will meet third seed Andreas Seppi in the second round. The four top-seeds gained a bye in the 28 man draw.
Sixth favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber celebrated his first victory over Santiago Giraldo in their third tour meeting. The 31-year-old German saved all five break points he faced and converted three of his own, winning 6-3, 6-2 in 68 minutes to take on Paolo Lorenzi next. The 33-year-old from Rome emerged victorious from the all-Italian-affair, beating Matteo Trevisan 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes.
Philipp Kohlschreiber (photo: Konzum Croatia Open)
Damir Dzumhur cruised past Lukas Rosol, winning 6-3, 6-0 in just 56 minutes. The 23-year-old from Bosnia-Herzegovina didn’t face a break point and won 81% of his second service points to set a second round clash with fifth-seed Fabio Fognini. The 32-year-old Italian prevailed on Monday, winning 6-4, 6-4 against Jiri Vesely in one hour and 32 minutes.
“It was really hot today but it didn’t bother me during the match,” said Fognini after his match yesterday. “However, with this humidity, I spent a lot of energy and I need to make sure I recover well. I am happy with this match. It is never easy to play a lefty, but I found the rhythm as the match went on.”
Andreas Haider-Maurer defeated Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano for the first time. The 28-year-old Austrian lost the two previous meetings on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2013 and 2014, but was in total control on Tuesday. Haider-Maurer hit four aces and won 76% of his first service points to prevail after one hour and 28 minutes to set a second round encounter with eight-seed Martin Klizan. The 26-year-old Slovakian beat Poznan Open’s champion from last week, Pablo Carreῆo-Busta, winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-1 . The match ended after two hours and 36 minutes, shortly after midnight
The first opponent for Umag’s top-seed Gael Monfils has also been found. The Frenchman will take on Austrian qualifier Bastian Trinker for the first time. The 25-year-old from Pörtschach gained his first victory in his only second ATP tour-level-match, beating Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 54 minutes.
Bastian Trinker (photo: Konzum Croatia Open)
