Koolhof/Skupksi Survive Upset-Filled Day In Acapulco

On a busy doubles Tuesday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, each of the top three seeds were in action. Only one survived the opening round.

Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski downed the Mexican wild card duo of Hans Hach Verdugo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-6(5), 6-3, avoiding the fate of their fellow seeds in Acapulco.

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer, seeded second, were knocked out by Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez, who earned a 6-2, 3-6, 10-2 win. Third seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus also bowed out in a Match Tie-break, falling to Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler. The Austrians advanced in a thriller, 6-3, 6-7(7), 11-9.

Matteo Berrettini and Jacopo Berrettini were also in action on Tuesday, but the brothers were knocked off by Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. The Rio semi-finalists advanced 6-3, 6-4. The Italian brothers were more successful in singles action on Tuesday as both advanced to the second round, with Jacopo scoring his first ATP Tour main-draw singles win in his first tour-level appearance.

Mektic/Pavic Prevail In Dubai Thriller
At the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic came through a tough opening test against last week’s Doha champions Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden at the ATP 500 event.

The Croatian pair trailed 0/3 in the Match Tie-break, but turned things around for an 87-minute victory, winning seven of the final 10 points to reach the second round. Mektic and Pavic, who reached the championship match in Dubai in 2021 and 2022, will meet Kareem Al Allaf and Abdulrahman Al Janahi next, after the wild cards defeated Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar 6-1, 6-3.

Third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara also advanced with a 7-6(3), 6-2 victory against all-German team Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. There was one big upset in the U.A.E., however, as Ilya Ivashka and defending singles champion Andrey Rublev took out second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-6(3), 2-6, 10-8.

Santiago Fans Buoyed By Barrios Vera and Tabilo

On a day when Chilean star Cristian Garin upset Dominic Thiem in the sngles at the Movistar Chile Open, Tomas Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo ensured there was also home success on the doubles court.

The wild card pair notched a 6-3, 6-3 win against Facundo Bagnis and Juan Pablo Varillas at the clay-court ATP 250, saving all six break points they faced in the 73-minute clash. In the day’s only other doubles clash in the Chilean capital, Spanish pair Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar took out Pedro Cachin and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-3.