Estoril Open fifth seed Bublik stunned by qualifier Martinez
Cilic survives three-setter against Alcaraz while Basilashvili and Struff advance in Munich
Imago / Panoramic
Alexander Bublik’s status as the Estoril Open’s fifth seed meant little to Pedro Martinez as the Spaniard romped to a straight-sets victory on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Doha champion Nikoloz Basilashvili was among the seeded players to advance at the BMW Open in Munich.
Martinez wins while Cilic overcomes Alcaraz
Qualifier Martinez needed just 53 minutes to see off Bublik, a player ranked 57 spots above him, triumphing 6-3, 6-0 to reach the second round.
He will now face Brit Cameron Norrie, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over home hope Joao Sousa in Portugal.
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic, seeded sixth, might have feared going the same way as Bublik after losing the second set against 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
But the Croatian held his nerve and got the job done in to win 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
How Marin Cilic got a very good win over Carlos Alcaraz here in Estoril. pic.twitter.com/VLK4yI6cIi
— Millennium #EstorilOpen (@EstorilOpen) April 27, 2021
Also, fellow seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was relatively untroubled in overcoming compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Spanish clash. There were also first-round wins for Frenchmen Richard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Basilashvili and Struff advance in Munich but Korda exits
At the BMW Open in Munich, Nikoloz Basilashvili, seeded fifth, defeated Thiago Monteiro 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the second round as did seventh seed Jan-Lennard Struff who won on home soil.
The German saw off lucky loser Andrej Martin 6-4, 6-3 and the seventh seed will now face Dominik Koepfer, who downed three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Elsewhere in the draw, young American Sebastian Korda was defeated in the first round by qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 7-6, sixth seed Dusan Lajovic suffered a straight-sets loss to world No 127 Mackenzie McDonald, and German Yannick Hanfmann defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel in a third set tiebreaker.
Comeback: Denied ⛔️
From 6-1 5-1 up, Daniel Elahi Galan closes out Sebastian Korda 6-1 7-6(7) in Munich!#BMWOpen pic.twitter.com/cT85KjG4sH
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 27, 2021
