Reuters
[ Source : Reuters ]
No. 8 seed Nuno Borges of Portugal withstood a challenge from three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, prevailing 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1), 6-3 in first-round action at the Open 13 Provence on Tuesday in Marseille, France.
Wawrinka, playing as a wild card as he continues to attempt a comeback from injuries, had 12 aces and led the second set 4-1 before Borges stormed back to force a tiebreaker.
By then, all the momentum belonged to Borges, and he finished the match having won a whopping 72 of 99 total service points (72.7 percent).
Two other matches Tuesday went the distance: China’s Zhizhen Zhang fended off France’s Quentin Halys 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), and lucky loser Luca Van Assche rallied past fellow Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7).
Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Germans Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff also advanced.
Spanish eighth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina saved 2 of 3 break points and converted all three of his break-point opportunities in defeating Japanese lucky loser Taro Daniel 6-2, 7-6 (2) in the first round in Florida.
