QUIMPER, March 1, 2016
The lone ATP Challenger event taking place this week is the sixth edition of the €42,500 Open BNP Paribas Banque De Bretagne held in Quimper.
The tournament’s top-seeds were in first round action on Tuesday when first favourite Paul-Henri Mathieu cruised past his fellow Frenchman Vincent Millot, winning 6-1, 6-2. The world number 69 Strasbourg native didn’t face a break point and fired 12 aces to advance after only 53 minutes. Mathieu will take on the winner of match between Aldin Setkic and wild card Gregoire Barrere.
The tournament’s number two Sergiy Stakhovsky also made it to the second round through a 7-6, 7-6 win over Aslan Karatsev. In a match without any breaks, the world number 114 from the Ukraine won 80% of his first service points and sent down 19 aces to play French qualifier Alexandre Sidorenko next.
Fourth seed Lukas Lacko defeated Maxime Teixeira 7-5, 6-4. The 28-year-old Slovakian hit six aces and won 78% of his first service points to finish the encounter after one hour and 21 minutes. Lacko will face Calvin Hemery next.
On Monday, third seed Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Federico Gaio 6-4, 6-1 to gain his only second win in a main draw match this season. The 25-year-old German saved the only break point he faced, converting three of his own to reach the second round after 61 minutes. Struff will face his compatriot Tobias Kamke, who battled through the qualifying and beat Marco Trungelliti 7-5, 6-1 to advance after one hour and 17 minutes.
Andrey Rublev (photo: ATP Challenger Quimper)
With Andrey Rublev another qualifier was successful in his opening main draw match. The only 18-year-old Russian withstood 24 aces, hitting 15 of his own against French wild card Albano Olivetti to clinch a 6-4, 7-6 victory in one hour and 21 minutes.
Rublev will face Karen Khachanov in an all-Russian-teen-second round-clash. The eighth seed from Moscow ousted Tristan Lamasine 6-4, 7-6 in 90 minutes. Rublev and Khachanov will meet for the second time. The latter won the only previous match at an ITF Future in Kazakhstan 2014.
