Defending Champion Dzumhur Makes Strong Start In Antalya

Defending champion Damir Dzumhur made a strong start to his Turkish Airlines Open Antalya campaign on Monday, defeating Australian Matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-5 to reach the second round. 

The fifth seed is trying to become the first player to retain the Antalya trophy. This is the third edition of the ATP 250 tournament, which was won by Yuichi Sugita in 2017. This was Dzumhur and Ebden’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, and Dzumhur, despite winning just two more points overall in the match, converted three of the seven break points he earned to advance after one hour and 22 minutes. 

Dzumhur is trying to win an ATP Tour title for the third consecutive year. In 2017, he lifted his first two tour-level trophies, in St. Petersburg and Moscow, en route to reaching a career-high of No. 23 in the ATP Rankings. In the next round, the 27-year-old will face Turkish wild card Altug Celikbilek, who upset former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in one hour and 53 minutes. It was the first ATP Tour main draw match in World No. 443 Celikbilek’s career.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Ugo Humbert also moved into the second round. The 20-year-old beat Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-5 in 78 minutes. It is the sixth seed’s sixth tour-level victory of the year, and he entered 2019 with just two wins in his career. He will face another #NextGenATP player in 19-year-old Miomir Kecmanovic, who advanced on Sunday. Both men are currently inside the Top 10 in the ATP Race To Milan.

Indian Prajnesh Gunneswaran eliminated former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic 6-0, 7-6(6) to set a clash with Italian Lorenzo Sonego and Aussie Bernard Tomic eliminated seventh seed Andreas Seppi 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Tomic, who struck 24 aces — including six in the first game of the match — will next play German Peter Gojowczyk.

More Results
Peter Gojowczyk def. [W] Ergi Kirkin 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-2
Bradley Klahn def. [Q] Steve Darcis 6-3, 6-2
[Q] Viktor Troicki def. Jozef Kovalik 7-6(3), 6-4
Roberto Carballes Baena def. [Q] JC Aragone 6-4, 7-6(2)

Roland Garros Champions Eliminated
Jonathan Erlich and Artem Sitak beat Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, the top seeds, 6-3, 7-6(3) to reach the second round. Krawietz and Mies also lost in the first round of last week’s NOVENTI OPEN.

Second seeds Marcelo Demoliner and Divij Sharan avoided the upset bug, defeating wild cards Tuna Altuna and Cem Ilkel 7-5, 6-2.