Kwon, Seppi Cause Upsets In Zhuhai

France’s Lucas Pouille and Australia’s Nick Kyrgios both made first-round exits on Wednesday at the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships.

South Korean qualifier Soonwoo Kwon lost six of his first-service points (35/41) to account for fifth seed Pouille 7-6(4), 6-2 in one hour and 32 minutes. Kwon, who broke into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings on 5 August and is now 6-5 on the season, will now play Bosnia and Herzegovina qualifier Damir Dzumhur.

Andreas Seppi avenged February’s Acapulco loss to sixth seed Kyrgios with a 7-6(5), 6-1 win over 64 minutes. Kyrgios led 4-1 in the first set and could not convert three set points at 5-3. Seppi, who hit eight aces and is now 15-21 on the year, will next play Chinese wild card Zhizhen Zhang.

Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas saved four set points in the first set en route to a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in one hour and 43 minutes for a place in the quarter-finals. Kecmanovic had served for the first set at 5-4, leading 40/0.

Ramos-Vinolas will next play third-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils or Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, who play during Wednesday’s night session.

Nitto ATP Finals Contenders Rojer/Tecau Advance To Quarter-finals
Top seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, who have compiled a 19-8 record in tour-level team finals, overcame Kyrgios and Matt Reid 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 in 57 minutes for a place in the quarter-finals. Rojer and Tecau are currently in sixth position in the 2019 ATP Doubles Race To London for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 from 10-17 November.

Second seeds Luke Bambridge and Ben McLachlan beat Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak 7-6(2), 6-4, while third seeds Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald swept past Di Wu and Zhang 6-2, 6-1 in 50 minutes.