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Rio de Janeiro finalists Felix Auger-Aliassime and Laslo Djere have both won their first-round matches in Sao Paulo, maintaining a great form and entering the last 16. An 18-year-old Canadian grabbed his sixth win of the season after a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over the three-time champion Pablo Cuevas whom he beat last week as well.
The match lasted two hours and three minutes and Felix earned the triumph after delivering the better numbers on the second serve, fending off four out of five break points and scoring three breaks to book the place in the next round.
The first break of the match came in game 11 when Auger-Aliassime sprayed a backhand error, allowing Cuevas to secure the opener with a hold at 15 for a 7-5. The youngster raised his level in set number two, dropping just five points in five service games and waiting for a chance on the return patiently.
It came in game four when he broke at love after a forehand drive-volley winner, opening a 3-1 lead and bringing the set home with a hold at 15 in game nine to set up a decider where he had the momentum. The Canadian played even better behind the initial shot, losing only four points (nine in total on serve after the opening set) and clinching a break at 15 in the opening game to move closer to the finish line.
Pablo never found the rhythm on the return again and Felix crossed the finish line when the Uruguayan hit a double fault in game nine, setting the second round encounter against Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Rio de Janeiro champion Laslo Djere notched the sixth straight win, ousting a qualifier Alessandro Giannessi 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 after two hours and 22 minutes to join Auger-Aliassime in round two.
The Serb won just one point more than the Italian, getting broken four times from as many chances he offered to Giannessi and stealing the rival's serve four times from nine opportunities on the other hand. Giannessi came from a 5-3 down in the opening set and saved a set point to reach the tie break that Djere won 7-5 with a late mini-break.
Alessandro forged a lead early in the second set and it was enough to bring it home in game ten, setting up a decider where Djere wasted a 3-0 lead before moving over the top with a late break in game ten to extend the winning streak.
The 3rd seed and Cordoba finalist Guido Pella needed just 74 minutes to beat Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4, losing seven points on serve and breaking the Spaniard three times for a commanding win. Pella found the range right from the start, serving well and breaking Carballes Baena in the third game when he forced an error from his rival.
The Argentinian forged a 5-2 lead when Roberto netted a forehand in game seven, winning the set with a hold at love in game nine. The second set was more balanced and it offered nine good holds on both sides and one loose service game for Carballes Baena that cost him the match.
Guifo spread him over the court in game three to deliver the desired break and he controlled the scoreboard in the rest of the clash to cement the victory with a service winner in game ten for his ninth win of the season.
The 22-year-old Christian Garin is through to his first ATP quarter-final after a grueling 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 win over the 6th seed Jaume Munar in two hours and 46 minutes. Garin won three points more than the Spaniard, repelling ten out of 12 break points and converting two out of four chances he created on the return to stay in contention and prevail in the pivotal moments of the match.
Interestingly, all four breaks came in the first eight games of the match and they both served better and better as the battle progressed, playing against eight break points in set number two and none in set number three.
They stayed neck and neck until the deciding tie break that Christian won 7-2 after a weak volley from Munar at the net for the most significant result in a career so far. The 4th seed Leonardo Mayer took down Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in just under two hours, losing serve twice and keeping the pressure on the Italian who had to play against 12 break points, giving serve away four times to propel the Argentinian into the last eight.