Taylor Fritz Led Day One Seeded Upsets
[7] Taylor Fritz lost to fellow American, Nishesh Basavareddy. The American wildcard capitalized on the fact that Fritz was not match tough following his injury. This was still not an easy victory for Basavareddy. Despite not being at his best, Taylor Fritz fought hard. He lost 6-7(5), 6-7(5), 7-6(9), 1-6. Sometimes the mind wants to, but the body is just not capable of delivering in that moment.
Embed from Getty Images[21] Clara Tauson lost to Daria Snigur 6-3, 5-7, 2-6. It is always interesting to watch Tauson play; she always seems to be in so much discomfort. Sadly, playing on clay is the most taxing of the surfaces. It’s not just physically taxing, it is emotionally and mentally taxing. Thus, if you step on court not fully ready in any area, it will show the longer the match goes on. [23] Tomas Martin Etcheverry lost to Nuno Borges in straight sets, 3-6, 4-6, 2-6. This was not a surprise, as the Portuguese player led their H2H 2:0.
American Successes On Day One
[18] Learner Tien defeated Cristian Garin 6-0, 2-6, 6-0, 6-2. [26] Hailey Baptiste defeated Barbora Krejcikova in a very difficult match. The first two sets were battles. Although Krejcikova won it 7-6 (7), she could not win the second set. Baptiste fought hard to win the next two sets 7-6(6), 6-2. Katie Volynets got a much-needed victory. She defeated the wild card, Clara Burel, 6-3, 6-1. Caty McNally defeated the veteran Ajla Tomljanovic. The Australian won the first set 6-3 and by rights should have won the match. Kudos to McNally, who hung tough and competed to the very end to win the next two sets 7-6(5), 6-3. Peyton Stearns defeated fellow American, Sofia Kenin. The former major champion continues to struggle to find her “A” game. Stearns won 6-3, 6-3. Zachary Svajda defeated Alexei Popyrin 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-5.
Embed from Getty ImagesDay Two Seeded Upsets
[12] Jiri Lehecka lost to Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets, 3-6, 6-7(3), 3-6. [14] Ekaterina Alexandrova did not bring her “A” game, the result was a first round loss to Camila Osorio. Osorio took full advantage of her opportunity to get the 6-2, 6-4 victory. [20] Liudmila Samsonova lost to Jil Teichmann 4-6, 4-6, which was a surprise. [31] Cristina Bucsa lost to the qualifier, Susan Bandecchi, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6.
American Successes On Day Two
[5] Ben Shelton won his match in straight sets. He defeated Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. [6] Amanda Anisimova had an easy day at the office. She dispatched of the wild card, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1. [19] Frances Tiafoe was tested a bit in his match; however, in the end, he came away with the 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 victory over fellow American, Eliot Spizzirri.[24] Tommy Paul defeated Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Good to see Paul digging deep to get this four-set victory. [31] Brandon Nakashima defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. The Spaniard plans to retire this year.
Embed from Getty ImagesAlycia Parks upset [24] Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4. This was a nice win for Parks, who has been not at her best since winning her first title. Alex Michelsen defeated Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. A nice win for the young American against a potentially dangerous opponent on clay. McCartney Kessler defeated the qualifier, Hanyu Guo, in a tough battle that could have ended badly for the American. Kessler won 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5.
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
