On his 19th birthday, #NextGen star Alexander Zverev booked his spot in the third round of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell with a battling 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-5 victory over 15th seed Thomaz Bellucci.

The German, who won the ATP Star of Tomorrow presented by Emirates award last year, is on the verge of the Top 50 and improved to a 13-9 match record on the season after prevailing in two hours and 28 minutes.

“This is the best birthday present. I have never played a tournament on my birthday before,” said Zverev, who received a birthday cake from tournament director, Albert Costa, during the post-match press conference.”

Zverev served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, but could not close it out as Bellucci fought back to force a decider. Zverev then rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the third set, breaking Bellucci to love in the 12th game to seal victory.

“Bellucci is a great player on clay and this will give me confidence. It will be difficult, but I hope to achieve a great result and continue winning here in Barcelona.”

Zverev goes on to face Malek Jaziri, who defeated Renzo Olivo 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Zverev’s countryman, 10th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, cruised through, dismissing Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 6-1 in just 69 minutes.

Italy’s Fabio Fognini fought from a set down to finish strongly in a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over Mikhail Youzhny. He goes on to face Viktor Troicki, who defeated qualifier Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 in one hour and 49 minutes.

Second seed Kei Nishikori opened his title defence at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Thiemo de Bakker.

The Japanese star has won 11 straight matches at this ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament and continued his winning run with victory over de Bakker in 69 minutes. Nishikori claimed his second win of the season over the No. 102-ranked de Bakker as he won 74 per cent of his service points and broke serve three times.

“I’m happy to be back in Barcelona,” said Nishikori. “Today’s conditions were tough with the wind and I’m happy to be in the next round.”

The 26-year-old Nishikori is playing his first clay-court tournament of the season and improved to 20-6 in 2016. The right-hander is coming off a runner-up showing at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Miami (l. to Djokovic) and captured his 11^th title in Memphis (d. Fritz) in February.

The two-time defending Barcelona champion goes on to face Jeremy Chardy.

Seventh seed Feliciano Lopez edged Ivan Dodig 7-6(5), 6-4 to move into the third round. Lopez dropped serve twice but went 3-for-9 on break points to advance in one hour and 46 minutes. He moved ahead 3-2 in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and will now face tenth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who eased past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour.

Ninth seed Pablo Cuevas saw off Spanish left-hander Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 7-5. Cuevas failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, but swept the last two games to set up a third-round clash against sixth seed Benoit Paire.

World No. 16 John Isner was on hand Monday in Atlanta, travelling around the city to make appearances on radio stations and television broadcasts to promote the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open. The three-time defending champion visited with kids at an after-school program as well as the North Georgia Regional President of the title sponsor, Donta Wilson.

“I always enjoy playing in Atlanta and having the support of a lot of Bulldog fans,” said the American. “The crowds are great and I look forward to coming back to defend my title again this summer.”

The BB&T Atlanta Open takes place 1-7 August.

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Karen Khachanov, part of the ATP’s Next Generation, saved one match point Monday at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell. On Tuesday, he once again held his nerve to defeat World No. 17 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 in his first match against a Top 20 player.

“Honestly it’s feels great for me,” said the 19-year-old qualifier following the two hour, 25-minute battle. “It’s an unbelievable win – one of the highest players I’ve ever beat. To play on centre court here in Barcelona, almost in my second hometown after Moscow because I’m practising here, it’s amazing.”

Khachanov, who is coached by Spaniard Galo Blanco, previously achieved his best tour-level result in his other hometown of Moscow. In 2013, as a wild card, he defeated former champion Janko Tipsarevic to become the first 17 year old to reach an ATP World Tour quarter-final since Kei Nishikori in 2007 (Indianapolis). He went from unranked to No. 513 in the Emirates ATP Rankings following his first two tour-level events that autumn: St. Petersburg (2R – d. Hanescu, l. to Rosol) and Moscow (d. Ramos-Vinolas, Tipsarevic, l. to Karlovic). 

This week, he entered Barcelona at No. 138 – three back of his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking – and won two matches in qualifying, both in three sets, to earn his place alongside three other Next Generation players – Alexander Zverev, Hyeon Chung and Elias Ymer – in the main draw.

“All these guys, we are almost the same age. We have been playing from 14 years old in the same tournaments and now we’re coming on the ATP World Tour and it’s great because all of us we improve and hopefully in a few years we can compete against each other and play on the high levels,” he said.

But first, Khachanov has his sights set on the Top 100. “Always you try to have higher goals and then if you achieve, it’s good. If not, you’ll keep working,” he said. “[I need to] keep going like this, to improve my serve, to play more aggressive.” 

To continue his latest comeback, onetime tennis prodigy Brian Baker has returned to the ATP Challenger that helped him start the best run of his career nearly four years ago.

In 2012, Baker was 26 and already had endured six surgeries – left knee; left hip, twice; right hip; sports hernia; and elbow reconstruction. He wanted, however, to give his career another shot. Ranked No. 293, Baker first needed to qualify for the Savannah Challenger.

Eight matches later, he had won the $50,000 event. Later that year, he’d go on to reach the final at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur, win a round at Roland Garros and make the fourth round at Wimbledon.

“It started here,” Baker said of Savannah.

On Monday, the 30-year-old American picked up where he left off. Winning 81 per cent of his first-serve points, Baker dismissed his 18-year-old compatriot Tommy Paul, last year’s French Open junior boys’ champion, 6-3, 6-1 in 58 minutes to move into the second round. At 1-all in the second set, Baker erased the only break point he faced with his only ace and cruised for the remainder of the match.

“It still feels a little different than it does when you’ve played a million matches,” Baker said. “But once I settled in the first 15 minutes of the match, played a few good games, I think I was able to put pressure on him whenever he hit a shorter ball, and maybe took him out of his game a little bit.”

Baker is playing in just his fourth tournament of 2016. After his 2012 run, which included wins over then-No. 13 Gael Monfils and Benoit Paire, in addition to a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 52, the Nashville native had to retire from his second-round match at the 2013 Australian Open because of a right-knee injury.

During the next two years, he’d play only 10 matches and undergo five more surgeries, including one to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. The final surgery, in December 2014, repaired cartilage in the same knee. “It’s just been a really long recovery,” Baker told the ATPWorldTour.com after that operation.

But on Monday, he showed no signs of any lingering injuries. The former Roland Garros junior boys’ finalist slid freely on the Har-Tru, chasing down drop shots and attacking the net against Paul. The only semblance of a brace that Baker wears is a little pre-wrap around his right knee to help stabilize his IT band.

“I still need to get stronger. I need to get faster. I need to get fitter. But as far as pain-wise, it felt good,” he said.

The veteran has taken his time in coming back this year. He used his protected ranking to play in the main draw of the Australian Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau. Earlier this month, he received a wild card into qualifying at the Fayez Sarofim & Co U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

Baker, now ranked No. 800, could use his protected ranking more often earlier in the season and play in more bigger events. But he accepted a wild card to return to Skidaway Island this week so he could gain match experience and enjoy Savannah once more.

Baker stays in a home nearby The Landings Club, and the local fans show him neighborly love. After his match against Paul, about a handful of supporters congratulated him on his play. “Great to see you back,” one fan said.

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Baker said.

Despite his favourable memories, he said he’s resisted putting any pressure on himself this week or this year. He wants to play 15 to 20 matches and then evaluate his level of play.

“I told myself this tournament… be a little bit nicer to yourself, realize that you’re going to play some poor games, you’re going to hit some poor shots, but you’re playing a lot better and you can do well here, and I think I did that,” Baker said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time but (Monday) was a great step in the right direction.”