American Tommy Paul exacted revenge in a battle of #NextGenATP players at the BB&T Atlanta Open on Monday. The 20 year old prevailed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 over Korean seventh seed Hyeon Chung to record just his second ATP World Tour match win.

Paul had fallen to the World No. 53 in the Emirates ATP Rankings a year ago in Houston. It marked his third straight win on the Atlanta hard courts, having won through two rounds of qualifying to make the main draw.

“I had to bounce back in the second set. I thought I did a pretty good job,” Paul said. “He had some chances early in the second and I thought my fitness was something that really helped me out a lot.

“It’s really big. I’m definitely really excited to get out there on Wednesday and hopefully get a second (win) of the year.

“I’m from the south, from North Carolina, so I love coming back here. I’ve got a lot of friends here.”

With nine #NextGen ATP players in the main draw, six squared off against each other on Monday. Paul admitted to being spurred on by the success of his emerging peers.

“I really love all the other guys my age doing well, it kind of pushes me to work harder,” Paul said. “If they can do it, why can’t I?”

Paul could meet another NextGen ATP player in compatriot Reilly Opelka in the second round. The American, who reached his maiden ATP World Tour semi-final in Atlanta last year, opens against Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri.

Paul’s fellow American NextGen ATP player Jared Donaldson also advanced to the second round on Monday. In another all-NextGen ATP clash, the 20-year-old Donaldson easily accounted for countryman Ernesto Esobedo 6-3, 6-1. He will meet another young American in the second round – either NextGen ATP player Taylor Fritz or 21-year-old wild card Christopher Eubanks.

Frenchman Quentin Halys ensured it would not be a clean sweep for the Americans in the third showdown between NextGen ATP players on Monday. Halys took down Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 7-6(7) to reach the second round. He will next face recent Wimbledon quarter-finalist, No.3 seed Gilles Muller.

Earlier, Slovak Lukas Lacko surged past Italian Thomas Fabbiano 6-1, 6-2 in under an hour. Lacko’s six aces helped him secure a second-round meeting with either Donald Young or Tim Smyczek.

David Goffin enjoyed a ‘sweet’ return to Gstaad. The top seed at this week’s J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad visited a mini chalet in town Monday and tried a traditional dessert, meringue with double cream and berries, which met with his approval.

Goffin, playing his second tournament since injuring his right ankle during Roland Garros, was pleased to continue his comeback at this ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament, where he reached the final on his 2015 debut (l. to Thiem).

“I’m happy to be back in Gstaad,” said the Belgian. “I’m trying to find my form and want to play as many matches as possible to get back to my level. It’s important to be back in competition.”

In first-round matches on a rainy Monday, 29-year-old French qualifier Gleb Sakharov made a winning tour-level debut. He defeated Swiss wild card Antoine Bellier 6-3, 7-6(8) to set a meeting with No. 2 seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann and Slovakian Norbert Gombos earned second-round clashes with respectively No. 3 seed Feliciano Lopez and No. 4 seed Fabio Fognini. Hanfmann prevailed against Argentine Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes, while Gombos closed out a 7-6(8), 6-2 win over Taro Daniel.

Denis Istomin picked up his first win since Roland Garros, easing past Italian qualifier Lorenzo Giustino 6-3, 6-2 in 54 minutes. 

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Germany’s Florian Mayer got his campaign on home soil off to a successful start, beating Marco Cecchinato 7-5, 6-2 in the German Tennis Championships 2017 first round on Monday. The 33 year old awaits the winner of the match between second seed Pablo Cuevas and Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.

Fourth seed Gilles Simon opened his quest for a second title in Hamburg, beating local wild card Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes. Seemingly in control for last parts of the match, Simon trailed 0-2 in the deciding set, but worked his way back to gain the crucial break in the seventh game. Simon last lifted a trophy – the 12th of his career – in February 2015 at the Open 13 Marseille and now awaits the winner of the match between Philipp Kohlschreiber and Andrey Rublev, last week’s Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag titlist.

Fifth seed Benoit Paire struck 11 aces and lost just three of his first service points (17/20) to sweep past former World No. 20 Dmitry Tursunov 6-3, 6-2 in 53 minutes. He will next challenge 2012 runner-up, Tommy Haas, who made his hometown tournament debut in 1997, or Nicolas Kicker in the second round.

Sixth seed Diego Schwartzman recorded his first victory in three visits to the Rothenbaum by losing 11 of his service points in beating Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-2, 6-3 in 76 minutes. He’ll next meet qualifier Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, who was a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Damir Dzumhur.

Top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round after the German handily defeated Evgeny Donskoy 6-3, 6-4. Horacio Zeballos also advanced to the second round with a 7-6(2), 6-4 win over German wild card Daniel Altmaier.

In doubles, Rogerio Dutra Silva and Ramos-Vinolas teamed to defeat home hopes Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-4 in 84 minutes.

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