Mexican Open: Daria Gavrilova and Lesia Tsurenko start well

Los Angeles: Australian wild card Daria Gavrilova and Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko advanced to the second round of the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Monday, after eliminating unseeded Americans Madison Brengle and Lauren Davis, respectively. Gavrilova, the third seed, rallied to beat Brengle in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in two hours and 21 minutes.

Gavrilova won despite making 11 double faults compared to just three for Brengle. Gavrilova won 66 percent of her first serve points but had her serve broken five times. The defending champion and seventh seed Tsurenko defeated Davis 6-4, 6-1 in 77 minutes. On the men’s side of the joint WTA and ATP tournament, David Ferrer of Spain breezed past Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3 in a night match to reach the second round.

The unseeded Ferrer won 78 percent of his first-serve points and broke Rublev’s serve four times in the 83 minute contest. Ferrer next faces the winner of a match between sixth seeded Juan Martin Del Potro and Mischa Zverev of Germany. In other first round matches, Ryan Harrison edged fellow American John Isner 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).

Selected Results:

Men’s first round: Ryan Harrison (USA) bt John Isner (USA, 8) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), Jared Donaldson bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 6-2, 3-2 (retired), David Ferrer (ESP) bt Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6-4, 6-3.

Women’s first round: Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU, 5) bt Christina McHale (USA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4; Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) bt Belinda Bencic (SUI) 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3; Daria Gavrilova (AUS, 3) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Nishioka loses on comeback

Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka said his comeback from knee surgery will “take time”, after letting a one-set lead slip in a first-round loss to Benoit Paire at the Dubai Championships on Monday. The 22-year-old, playing in only his second ATP tournament since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in Miami last March, fell to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 defeat.

The world number 179, with a protected ranking of 66, admitted that while he fought hard, his level is not high enough to fully compete on a regular basis.
Nishioka said his immediate goal is to return to his career-best ranking of 58th, after his first ATP Tour match since retiring injured in the first set of his second-round tie against Jack Sock at the Australian Open.  

“It will take time, I cannot play three straight weeks,” Nishioka said adding, “I need to rest and then play, but I need to stay positive.” Nishikoka won a tight first set but eventually bowed to Frenchman Paire after losing the first five games of the decider. Bautista Agut is safely through. Third-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut joined sixth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Florian Mayer. The Spaniard stands behind top seed Grigor Dimitrov and Lucas Pouille at the Aviation Club.