Costa do Souipe; Rotterdam; San Jose (R32) - Feb 9-15 Season I
Brasil Open
Round of 32 - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Second seed
Sven Oxenstierna continued his impressive run of form into the top ten with an elementary straight sets victory over Brazilian qualifier
Marzio Claverini. The world number ten came into his round of 32 clash against the local player as raging favourite, but struggled early as he fell behind 2-0. But showing the form that has acted the catalyst for his meteoric rise in world tennis, Oxenstierna struck back to win four games on the trot to take an eventually unassailable 4-2 lead. After claiming the first, "The Ox" had it much easier in the second after an early couple of breaks gave him enough breathing distance to claim a
6-4 6-4 win without really raising a sweat.
Jamee Hancianu also took an impressive first round victory over world number 54
Matthew Tobin. The Australian managed to stay close to Hancianu throughout the first set as the two exchanged breaks of service in an edgy opener. But with the scores level at 5-5, Hancianu struck gold as an unforced error for Tobin gave the CWLander a chance to serve out the opening set - a chance he took with both hands. From there the Australian never really troubled the world number 62 - Hancianu setting up a second round clash with sixth seed
Sanchez Emelio. Qualifier
Randy Smeltz will also face a seeded player with an odd victory over Ukraine's
Viktor Vuriak. Vuriak dropped two of the sets 0-6 1-6, but managed to stem the carnage in the middle to actually level the match at a set apiece. Smeltz recovered from the disappointing middle set to book end the match with dominant displays to record his first professional victory in style - running out a
6-0 3-6 6-1 victor.
On the other half of the draw,
Jojo Mustard made it four-from-four for CWLanders with a straight sets win over local veteran
Carlos Machado. The 28-year old Brazilian certainly made Mustard work for his victory in a gritty display riddled by unforced errors and long rallies. Whilst Mustard eventually advanced
6-4 7-5, he will have to lift his game in his second match against qualifier
Aldo Marín who produced a stunning upset to knock out eighth seeded Puerto Rican
Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez.
Seeds out: 4-Dmitry Orlov (RUS); 8-Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez (PUR).
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Round of 32 - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
World number 33
Jefferson Drake managed to advance in a draw jam packed with superstars in his opening round clash in Rotterdam against Uzbek
Anvar Juraev. The tenacious 23-year old engaged in a surprising struggle against the man one year his junior as the match was taken to three vastly different sets. Drake was clearly the better player in the first set as he was untroubled on his own service by Juraev whilst managing to break his opponent's service twice. But the 6-2 margin should have filled the CWLander with confidence, but it instead lit a fire under Juraev who powered back into the contest to demolish Drake in the second set 6-2. But Drake managed to flip the match on its head again and coast to victory
6-2 2-6 6-2, but will be left to ponder his form ahead of a showdown against Italian veteran
Antonio Bachunelli.
For
Sven Svensson and qualifier
Brett Read, their Rotterdam journies came to an end in their respective first round clashes. For Svensson, he surprised all by claiming the first set against American
Eric Henson in dominant style 6-2. But the undoubted class of the slightly younger Henson twin shone through as he rallied back into the contest to take the second set in a tiebreaker and clinch the decider in emphatic style to seal a tough
2-6 7-6(4) 6-3 victory. For the qualifier Read, the promising form he showed in qualifier was all for naught as he was thoroughly smashed by Ukraine's
Roman Dorogan. Doragan took little over fifty minutes to dispatch the CWLander, advancing to the round of 16 with a
6-3 6-1 demolition job.
Seeds out: 7-Diego Hurtado (COL).
SAP Open
Round of 32 - San Jose
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Wildcard
Jean-Paul Valley produced one of the upsets of the first round in San Jose at the SAP Open as he upstaged world number 88
Sébastien Lachance in a tight three set clash. The enigmatic Valley came back from a set down to edge out Lachance in a see-sawing encounter - Valley's dogged spirit proving enough to upstage the flamboyant Frenchman. Valley looked the lesser player in the first set as he struggled on his serve en route to falling behind a set, but tightened his game up significantly in the second to claim it in a tiebreaker. The breakthrough was enough for Valley as he set up a second round clash with
Oliver Engel with a breezy third set win - advancing
2-6 7-6(5) 6-2.
Elsewhere,
Billy Spleen was in tantalising form with a
6-1 6-2 thrashing of wildcard
Samuel Thorpe of the United States. Spleen was only on court for 47 minutes in his routing of the 26-year old, exhibiting all of his finesse which has seen some label the 19-year old as the next big thing in CWLand tennis. His game wasn't all deft touch, though, as he smashed seven aces and a number of quite brilliant winners en route to his crushing win. Spleen will face a much tougher second round clash, though, as he faces seventh seed
Hugh James and must remain alert against the highly rated American.
Two CWLanders exited in the opening round in different circumstances - the seeded
Mat Mitchell and qualifier
Spas Delev suffered disappointing opening losses. The eighth seed Mitchell was upset by Luxembourg's
Oliver Engel in three sets despite having taken a 3-0 lead in the third-and-final set. The fighting Engel stormed back into the contest after having dropped the second set to set up a showdown with Spleen with an impressive
6-4 4-6 7-5 victory. Delev was less impressive against fourth seed
Zoltan Varga as he fell in straight sets. To Delev's credit, he stuck with his higher ranked opponent in the first set before falling in the final game, but proved no match in the second as Varga cruised to an emphatic
7-5 6-1 victory.
Seeds out: 8-Mat Mitchell (CWL).