Sakellaridis edges Damm 6-4 7-6 in Cincinnati qualifying

Stefanos Sakellaridis came through a tight straight-setter against Martin Damm, 6-4 7-6, to move a step closer to the Cincinnati main draw in the qualifying semifinals. The Greek landed only 52.4% of his first serves but made them count, winning 79.5% of those points and firing 10 aces. The difference came behind the second delivery: Sakellaridis won 57.5% of his second-serve points, while Damm managed just 36.8% and coughed up six double faults to his opponent's three. Damm's 72.9% first-serve accuracy and nine aces kept him close, but not close enough on a hard court where the tiebreak settled it.