Granollers Beats Countryman To Start Los Cabos

Spaniard Marcel Granollers started first-round play at the inaugural Abierto Mexicano Mifel in Los Cabos by beating countryman Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2), 6-2.

Granollers dropped only six points on his first serve and pressured Verdasco’s serve throughout the one-hour and 39-minute match, seeing 15 break points and converting three of them. Granollers will next face German Tobias Kamke, who outlasted American Tim Smyczek 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Granollers’ countryman Pablo Carreno Busta also moved into the second round with a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory against Frenchman and sixth seed Jeremy Chardy. Carreno Busta, who received a wild card into the tournament, will play American Austin Krajicek, who denied Mexican wild card Tigre Hank his first ATP World Tour win 7-6(2), 6-3.

Frenchman Julien Benneteau set-up a second-round clash against Argentine Horacio Zeballos by outlasting #NextGen player Jared Donaldson 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2. Zeballos struck 62 per cent of his first serves to upset fifth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-3 in 61 minutes.

“I don’t think I played really solid today,” Dolgopolov said. “I was missing a lot. He just played better than me.”

Later in the day, seventh seed Nicolas Almagro lost just five of his first service points and struck 13 aces in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over 20-year-old qualifier Noah Rubin in one hour and 42 minutes. Almagro captured his 13th ATP World Tour title in early May – his first trophy since 2012 Nice – at the Millennium Estoril Open (d. Carreno Busta).