Botic/Griekspoor Score Antwerp Upset; Returning Malisse Wins With Schwartzman
Former singles World No. 19 Xavier Malisse retired in 2013 after winning three ATP Tour singles titles in a 16-year career. The Belgian also won nine doubles titles and reached a career-high of No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.
The 42-year-old returned to the ATP Tour last year at the European Open in Antwerp, reaching the semi-finals alongside Lloyd Harris. Malisse is again competing at the ATP 250 event in his home nation this season, this time with Diego Schwartzman.
Malisse and Schwartzman made a strong start Tuesday with a 7-6(4), 7-5 win against Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo in the opening round. After taking a tight opening set that did not include a break of serve, Malisse and Schwartzman won the final four games of the match to storm through the finish line from 3-5 in the second set, saving four set points as part of the late surge.
They will next face Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp, who scored a 6-2, 7-5 upset against top-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.
Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies also advanced on Tuesday in Antwerp, with the Germans defeating Austrians Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler 5-7, 7-6(4), 10-6. The British team of Daniel Evans and Jonny O'Mara moved past Serbian twin brothers Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 6-3, 6-2.
Roland Garros Champs Survive In Stockholm
Only two doubles matches were contested on Tuesday at the Stockholm Open, with Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer surviving a Match Tie-break to open their campaign with a win. The top seeds edged Hans Hach Verdugo and Robert Galloway 6-2, 6-7(4), 10-5 and did not face a break point in the match,
Also advancing were Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti, who earned a 6-2, 6-3 win against Pavel Kotov and Alexander Shevchenko.
Upsets In Naples
Two seeded teams were eliminated on Tuesday at the Tennis Napoli Cup. The French duo of Adrian Mannarino and Fabrice Martin downed second-seeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4, while Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar edged fourth seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez 4-6, 6-1, 10-4.