Lu and Lajovic also score first round wins while Lopez/Monaco knocked out of doubles
Five of the twelve Chengdu Open 2016 first round matches slated to be played today at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre have already concluded, throwing up a number of unexpected results.
Chinese Taipei’s Lu Yen-Hsun kicked things off on Center Court with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek in 75 minutes, much to the delight of the home crowd.
“It wasn't an easy match. My opponent had already played two qualifying rounds, but my serve was good and it helped me scored some key points. My play was quite aggressive too. The court is really good. The speed, the bounce (of the court) is on point,” said the 33-year-old world No.63.
Following that match, Russia’s Karen Khachanov scored the first real upset of the tournament when he knocked out seventh seeded Portuguese Joao Sousa 7-6, 6-3 to move into the second round.
“It’s a very good match for me, I’m very happy with my performance. I like the court, I like the crowd so I was enjoying playing the match,” said the in-form 20-year-old who broke into the top 100 for the first time earlier this year.
World No.73 Dusan Lajovic of Serbia also upset the odds when he came back from a set down to defeat world No.41 Federico Delbonis 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the day’s first match on Court 1.
In the doubles, Roland Garros doubles champion Feliciano Lopez and partner Juan Monaco fell to a surprisingly tame defeat to Indian pairing Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, losing 2-6, 4-6 in just 56 minutes.
Meanwhile, top seeded doubles pair Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram were down 0-5 in the second set but won the next seven games on the trot to complete a 6-4, 7-5 straight sets victory over Chinese wild card pairing He Yecong and Sun Fajing.
In the morning, a number of players took a short excursion off the court to visit the famous Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in Chengdu.
Present for the trip were Chengdu Open third seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, South African Kevin Anderson, Argentinian Diego Schwartzman and the New Zealand-American doubles pair of Artem Sitak and Nicholas Monroe.
The players were lucky to visit on a day with weather that was good enough for the baby pandas to be brought out of their rooms.
“It’s amazing to see all those little ones and some of the big ones. It’s pretty rare to do that in the middle of a tournament, but we all enjoyed it a lot,” said Grigor Dimitrov.
Tickets for the Chengdu Open main draw matches through to the finals available through www.damai.cn and www.piao.com.cn
The tournament is owned by IMG and is organized by the Chinese Tennis Association and Chengdu Municipal Government, is co-organized by Chengdu Sports Bureau, Shuangliu District Government and Chengdu Culture Tourism Group and is promoted by Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd., CCTV IMG (Beijing) Sports Management Co. Ltd. and IMG Sports Development (Shanghai) Limited.
The tournament is proud to have the distinguished support from ATP World Tour’s Premier Partner Emirates, St. Regis Chengdu, Erke, Sichuan Tennis International Hotel, Yonex, Shouqi Limousine & Chauffeur, Srixon, West China Metropolis, Chengdu Radio and TV Station, Shenzhen Hundred-Meter Life Shares Co., Ltd., Ice Age and Sichuan Mengding Tea Co.Ltd.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Ms. Robecta Yeung, ph: +852-28940204 or +86-13760373443 or by email Robecta.Yeung@img.com.
About the 2016 Chengdu Open
Please visit: www.ChengduOpenTennis.com
About Chinese Tennis Association
Please visit: www.tennis.org.cn
About Chengdu City
Please visit: www.chengdu.gov.cn
About Chengdu Sports Bureau
Please visit: www.cdsport.gov.cn
About Shuangliu District
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About Chengdu Culture Tourism Group
Please visit: www.cdctg.com
About Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd.
Please visit: sichuantennisinternationalhotel.com
About CCTV-IMG Sports Management Company
Please visit: www.cctv-img.com
About IMG
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About the ATP World Tour
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