American Frances Tiafoe advanced to the second round of the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium, dismissing sixth seed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia in straight sets.
Tiafoe won 6-3, 7-6 (6) to wrap up the match in one hour and 21 minutes. The No. 63-ranked player in the world looked strong in his first hard-court event since reaching the U.S. Open Round of 16.
Another American had a less successful day as Tommy Paul lost 6-3, 6-2 against Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Ugo Humbert of France, ranked No. 38 in the world, also advanced, 6-4, 6-3 against Kimmer Coppejans of Belgium.
bett1HULKS Championship
Steve Johnson finally got the best of Marin Cilic in the duo’s sixth career head-to-head match during first-round play in Cologne, Germany.
Johnson held on for a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over ninth-seeded Cilic to advance. The American, who entered the day ranked No. 71 in the world, previously was 0-5 in matches against Cilic of Croatia.
Eighth-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France made quick work of Australian Alexei Popyrin with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Others who moved on to the second round included Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, who cruised to a 6-4, 6-0 win over Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund, and Gilles Simon of France, who earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Australia’s Jordan Thompson.
–Field Level Media
