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Maximilian Marterer has made a great start in Buenos Aires, defeating a qualifier Facundo Bagnis 6-4, 6-2 in 67 minutes for the third win of the season. The German lost just ten points in nine service games, never facing a break point and keeping the pressure on his rival all the time.
Bagnis couldn't find the rhythm behind the first serve and he suffered three breaks from six chances offered to Marterer who had the upper hand from the baseline, controlling both the pace and the scoreboard to reach the second round safely.
Maximilian earned a break in the third game after a forehand error from Facundo and he sailed through his service games for a 6-4, closing the opener with four winners in game ten. A forehand down the line winner pushed Marterer in front at the beginning of the second set and he increased the lead to 3-0 with another break in game three, enough to seal the deal with a beautiful backhand winner in game eight for a one-sided triumph and the place in he last 16.
The struggling Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas could drop out from the top-100 for the first time since June 2014 without a good result here and he is through to the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over a qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva in an hour and 37 minutes.
Ramos-Vinolas repelled five out of six break points and he converted three chances on the return from 13 he created to bring the match home in straight sets. They traded breaks in the middle of the first set before the Spaniard grabbed another one at 5-3, closing the set with a hold at love in game nine.
A break of serve at 1-1 was enough for him to control set number two, saving two break points while serving for the match at 5-4 to clinch a much-needed win and advance into the next round. A qualifier Lorenzo Sonego toppled the 6th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 26 minutes, serving well and outplaying the Chilean in the last two sets for his seventh ATP win.
Nicolas couldn't find free points and he struggled after missing the first serve, facing 12 break points and getting broken thrice to push Sonego over the finish line. In the match of the day, Christian Garin took down an 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes for the 12th ATP win in a career.
As was expected, it was a very close battle between promising youngsters and it was the more experienced of the two who grabbed the victory in the end, winning three points more than Felix and prevailing with two breaks in the decider.
Auger-Aliassime scored five breaks but that wasn't enough to send him over the finish line, having to play against 18 break points and losing serve six times to stay empty-handed. The Canadian opened the match with a double fault that gave Garin an instant break but he pulled it back in game four after a deep return that Christian failed to master.
The Chilean sprayed a forehand error in game six to get broken for the second time and Felix had the opener in his hands with a hold at 15 in game nine for a 6-3. The second set kicked off with four straight breaks and Auger-Aliassime was two points away from the finish line when he reached a deuce at 5-4.
Garin stayed focused, though, bringing the game home and breaking the youngster in game 12 when Felix netted a forehand to take the set 7-5 and force a decider. They traded breaks in games three and four in set number three before Auger-Aliassime faced five break points in game eight.
He saved the first four to stay in contention but Garin seized the fifth after a costly double fault from the Canadian, moving 5-3 up and clinching the triumph with a service winner in the following game to prevail and move into the last 16.