Chris O’Connell is through to the second round at an ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart, however Aussie compatriot Nick Kyrgios lost in the opening round.
Stuttgart, Germany, 13 June 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Stuttgart, Germany
Chris O’Connell has made a promising start at an ATP 250 grass-court tournament in Stuttgart, dismissing local hope Daniel Altmaier in a 56-minute opening-round encounter.
O’Connell conceded only seven points on serve and did not face a break point in an impressive 6-3 6-1 victory.
The 24-year-old Altmaier was coming off a third-round appearance at Roland Garros, where he scored a five-set victory against world No.9 Jannik Sinner.
China’s Wu Yibing spoiled Nick Kyrgios’ comeback, recording a 7-5 6-3 victory against last year’s Wimbledon finalist.
This was world No.25 Kyrgios’ first competitive appearance on tour since October. He has been absent since undergoing knee surgery earlier in the year.
Be patient with me my fans please…. It’s a process to get back to where I was. I know it’s hard for you to see me perform like today, but I need more time and hopefully can get back to where I was.
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 13, 2023
Aussies in action – Stuttgart
RESULTS
Men’s singles, first round
Chris O’Connell (AUS) d Daniel Altmaier (GER) 6-3 6-1
Wu Yibing (CHN) d [8] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 7-5 6-3
COMING UP
Men’s singles, second round
Chris O’Connell (AUS) v Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
Men’s doubles, quarterfinals
[1] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) v Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)/Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
The resurgent Kimberly Birrell has notched another milestone victory in her breakout season.
The 25-year-old from the Gold Coast recorded her first WTA main-draw win on grass at a WTA 250 tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Birrell powered to a 6-1 6-4 win against Dutch wildcard Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove.
It is also world No.117 Birrell’s first win on grass, at any level, in more than four years.
Jordan Thompson began his campaign in style at an ATP 250 tournament being played concurrently in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, recording first-round wins in both singles and doubles.
Thompson overcame French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4 7-6(3) in singles action, then teamed with Alex de Minaur to beat the experienced combination of John Peers and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo in doubles.
Alexei Popyrin was also a winner in singles, boosting the number of…
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