Jannik Sinner saved three match points and came from behind to topple Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 on Tuesday in the opening round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates.
Sinner was down a set and faced three match points at 6-3 in the second set tiebreaker before he rattled off five straight points to win the set and even the match against the Spaniard.
The fourth-seeded Sinner broke his opponent’s serve to go up 4-2 in the third set and cruise to the win. In the next round, he’ll face former world No. 1 Andy Murray.
Other winners Tuesday included second-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Brit Daniel Evans; fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, who ousted Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-1; sixth seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada, a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 winner over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics; and eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who shut down France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
Chile Dove Men+Care Open
Sixth-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic wore down Italian Marco Cecchinato to earn a 7-5, 6-1 win in Santiago, Chile.
Serving at 5-5 in the first set, Cecchinato quickly faced triple break point at 15-40, then fought off six break points in all before dropping the game to the Serbian. Kecmanovic polished off the deciding game in the set, then needed just 31 minutes to win the second set and the match.
Other winners were seventh seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina, Spaniards Carlos Taberner and Jaume Munar, and Hugo Dellien of Bolivia.
Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann rallied to knock off fifth seed Federico Coria of Argentina 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
–Field Level Media
