Waltert Survives Masarova in Montreux as the Clay Challengers Set Their Last-32 Lines
Simona Waltert edged Rebeka Masarova 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 in the day's most demanding first-round contest in Montreux, while Thiago Monteiro, Sebastian Ofner, Hugo Dellien and Juan Pablo Varillas all advanced on the European clay circuit ahead of six US Open quarterfinals tomorrow.
Thiago Monteiro667
Max Hans Rehberg736- 3
- Aces
- 5
- 4
- Double faults
- 8
- 59%
- 1st serve in
- 62%
The clay Challengers delivered the day's most stubborn tennis, and nothing was more stubborn than the all-Swiss meeting in Montreux, where Simona Waltert beat Rebeka Masarova 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. Masarova responded to the lost opening tie-break by taking the second set 6-3, but Waltert reorganised in the decider and closed it out with a clear margin, the sort of third-set separation that clay rewards when the legs hold.
The rest of the Montreux draw was rather more straightforward. Clara Burel dropped only three games in the first set on her way past Katerina Tsygourova 6-1, 6-4, Dalma Galfi accounted for Valentina Ryser 6-4, 6-3, and Fiona Ferro produced a controlled 6-3, 6-4 win over Mona Barthel. Lucie Havlickova needed a tie-break to shake off Lola Radivojevic before running away with it 7-6, 6-1, and Maristany G. was the most emphatic of all, beating Bassols M. 6-2, 6-1. Barbora Palicova provided the other turnaround of the session, losing the first set to Alice Tubello and then winning nine of the last ten games for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 result.
Antalya 4 followed the same pattern of resistance. Alicia Herrero Linana was ruthless early, bagelling Nastasja Schunk before completing a 6-0, 6-3 win, but three of her rivals had to come from a set down. Cagla Buyukakcay recovered from 2-6 to beat Yasmine Kabbaj 6-4, 6-2, Miriam Bulgaru survived a 1-6 opening against Federica Urgesi to win 6-3, 7-5, and Rositsa Dencheva turned a 4-6 deficit into a 7-5, 6-0 finish against Ipek Oz. Ane Mintegi Del Olmo was the exception, holding off Elena Pridankina 6-3, 7-6.
In Genova, the seeded names largely held their line. Hugo Dellien was efficient against Felipe Meligeni Alves, winning 6-3, 6-2, while Enrico Dalla Valle needed only 6-2, 6-1 to see off Gabriele Crivellaro. Andrea Pellegrino edged Mika Petkovic 7-6, 6-4, and Juan Pablo Varillas produced the tightest recovery of the day, losing the opener 5-7 to Federico Arnaboldi before taking the second by the same margin and the third 6-1. Maximo Zeitune's 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 win over Alvaro Guillen Meza went to the final tie-break.
Tulln offered the longest struggle on the men's side. Thiago Monteiro lost the first-set tie-break to Max Hans Rehberg and still found a way through, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, settling a three-hour-type contest with the third-set breaker. Diego Dedura Palomero was similarly tested by Lukas Pokorny before a 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 conclusion, and Juan Manuel La Serna beat Filip Cristian Jianu 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva (6-1, 6-4 over Alex Molcan), Gustavo Heide (6-3, 6-4 against Sean Cuenin) and Lukas Neumayer (6-4, 6-2 over Svyatoslav Gulin) needed only two sets each; Mika Brunold's match against Miguel Damas did not go the distance, the scoreline stopping at 6-3, 4-0. In Seville, Sebastian Ofner was clinical against Felix Gill, 6-4, 6-2.
Tomorrow the attention shifts decisively to Flushing Meadows, where six US Open quarterfinals are scheduled. Carlos Alcaraz, the world number three, faces the ninth-ranked Ben Shelton in the standout men's tie, while Alexander Zverev meets Botic Van De Zandschulp, ranked 70th, and Karen Khachanov (50) plays Alexander Blockx (34) in the most open section. The women's programme is arguably richer still: Mirra Andreeva against Coco Gauff pits the fifth seed against the fourth, Jessica Pegula meets fellow American Emma Navarro, and Elena Rybakina takes on Qinwen Zheng.
