Mahut Aces Double Duty In 's-Hertogenbosch

Two-time champion Nicolas Mahut got the better of his friend Paul-Henri Mathieu for the first time in their fourth meeting, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 46 minutes on Wednesday at the Ricoh Open. He is now into the quarter-finals. The pair had dined out together on Saturday, when Mahut learned he had become the new No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. Read Tribute

However, an unforced error months prior had nearly cost Mahut an opportunity to play singles this week.

“I almost had to play qualies because I forgot to enter the tournament before the six-week deadline,” Mahut revealed. “I’ve only forgotten to do this twice in my career. The last time was 2000. I went online to check the entry list and could not believe I was not on it. So I called the tournament director and I am really happy I got a wild card.”

The Frenchman was also a winner on the doubles court on Wednesday. Mahut partnered Rohan Bopanna to a 6-1, 6-4 win over wild card Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Robin Haase after recovering from his singles match.

Second seed Bernard Tomic earned his first ATP World Tour win on Dutch soil after dismissing Brit Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. The Aussie saved three break points and landed 67 per cent of first serves.

“It’s a beautiful tournament,” Tomic said. “There’s a lot of green, it’s very relaxing and I am happy to be here. I’ve had my best results on grass and it is probably best suited to my game.”

Elsewhere, fifth seed Sam Querrey knocked out Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 6-4 in 57 minutes to move into the quarter-finals. Querrey has a 1-2 record in ATP World Tour grass-court finals.