Haase Falls; Kitzbühel Resident Kohlschreiber Wins

There were plenty of keenly contested first-round encounters on Tuesday at the Generali Open, in the medieval ski resort town of Kitzbühel.

Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo extended his perfect record to 4-0 against 2011 and 2012 titlist Robin Haase mid-afternoon in a 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 win over two hours and 13 minutes. Fifth seed Haase hit 19 aces, but, having managed to save two set points at 5-6 in the first set, could not convert his lone opportunity at 6/5 in the tie-break. Giraldo now challenges Austrian wild card and last year’s semi-finalist Gerald Melzer or Carlos Berlocq of Argentina.

German and Kitzbühel resident Philipp Kohlschreiber, who captured the 2015 title (d. Mathieu) having reached the 2012 final (l. to Haase), didn’t have things all his own way in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win over Argentinean qualifier Facundo Bagnis over two hours and 11 minutes. Kohlschreiber led by a set and 2-0 in their first meeting since the 2014 US Open. He now goes onto face seventh-seeded Czech Jiri Vesely, who was a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Yannick Hanfmann, last week’s J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad (l. to Fognini).

Bagnis’ compatriot, eighth seed Horacio Zeballos, saved four match points and broke Rogerio Dutra Silva’s serve just once (nine of 10 break points saved) in a two-hour and 54-minute victory, 2-6, 7-6(11), 7-6(4). Zeballos first held a set point on Dutra’s Silva’s serve at 5-6, 30/40 in the second set, before converting his fourth chance in the tie-break. Dutra Silva, who would recover from a 2-4 deficit in the deciding set, squandered match point opportunities at 6/5, 8/7, 10/9 and 11/10 in the second set tie-break. Zeballos will now face fellow Argentinean Renzo Olivo or Brazilian lucky loser Thiago Monteiro in round two.

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