Three matches, one set
Tuesday in Stockholm went badly for French tennis. Adrian Mannarino, Quentin Halys and Arthur Rinderknech all opened their campaigns at the ATP 250 event and all three went out, with a single set to show for the day.
That leaves Ugo Humbert as the only French player still in the draw. Humbert got through on Monday, beating Adolfo Vallejo 6-4, 6-3, and he faces Croatia’s Borna Gojo in the second round on Wednesday.
Mannarino barely got started. The 38-year-old had already lost in qualifying on Sunday, beaten 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 by Britain’s Toby Samuel, but he got a second life as a lucky loser when Luca Van Assche withdrew. Van Assche, a semi-finalist at the Paris Masters last week, had to travel to Sweden to pull out in person and avoid a heavy fine. Mannarino, ranked 61st, made little of the reprieve. Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko beat him 6-1, 6-3.
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Halys and Rinderknech come close
Halys arrived on a high after winning the Paris Masters doubles title alongside Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The 30-year-old is the only player inside the top 50 in both singles (45th) and doubles (37th). Stockholm’s indoor conditions didn’t suit him, though. Lorenzo Sonego won 6-4, 7-6 (4), and Halys let a set point slip in the second set before losing the tiebreak.
Rinderknech pushed hardest. Down a set and a break against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, the world number 58 strung together four straight games to level the match. It didn’t last. He dropped serve at 1-1 in the decider, the only break point Kecmanovic earned in that set, and never got a look back. Final score: 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 to Kecmanovic.
All eyes on Humbert
Humbert now has the French flag to himself in Sweden. A win over Gojo on Wednesday would take him into the quarter-finals and keep France represented in Sweden a little longer.
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