The Spanish Roberto Bautista, ten in the world this week, is reunited with clay this Tuesday at the Hamburg tournament, prior to Roland Garros, with the intention of “having a good week”.
“We arrived in Hamburg with the desire to have a good week, they have been very exciting days personally and I am in good spirits and good energy, we have also been able to make a good transition to gravel. Now it's time to compete and buy minutes on the new surface, “says Bautista, who has recently been a father, in statements provided by his communication team.
Bautista Agut, seed number four of the tournament, starts his participation in Hamburg against the Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili. This is the first clay tournament in which the Castellón participates this season, having not competed in Rome due to his recent paternity.
The last meeting of the player from Castellón was the third round of the US Open after reaching the semi-finals at the Cincinnati Masters 1,000.
Rublev starts off with victory
The Russian Andrey Rublev, fifth seed, beat the American Tennys Sandgren on Monday without problems and in two sets, from the previous one, in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament on gravel in Hamburg (Germany), prior to Roland Garros. Rublev, world number 12 and recent fourth finalist in the United States Open, beat Sandgren, in the first duel between the two, by 6-3 and 6-3 in one hour and nine minutes. He will play in the second round (round of 16) against the also American and also from the previous Tommy Paul, executioner this Monday of South African Kevin Anderson by 6-4, 0-6 and 6-4.
The Russian was last year finalist in Hamburg, where he fell in the game for the title against the champion of the last two editions, the georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, who this Tuesday debuts against the Spanish Roberto Bautista. The Uruguayan is also in the eighth Pablo Cuevas, who got undone from another American, Taylor Fritz, 6-4 and 6-2. Cuevas invested 81 minutes to beat Fritz, 28 in the world, and winner last year from his first title at Eatsbourne and on grass. The Uruguayan thus added the third victory in this tournament, in which he left the phase previous, winning first the German Kevin Krawietz, and then the French Gilles Simon, the two without giving up a set.
Located this week in position 62 in the world, Cuevas, which in 2016 was a finalist in this tournament, he will face in the second round with the winner of the meeting between the British Dan Evans and the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, second seeded. The Czech also passed the first round on Monday Jiri Vesely, who beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-5 and 6-2. Russian Daniil Medvedev is the first favorite of this tournament, than takes place at the Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium, remodeled after 18 months of works, and which is endowed with a million euros in prizes.