Fifth-seeded Alex Michelsen rallied for a second-round win Thursday at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, giving U.S. players all eight quarterfinal berths in the event.
It’s the first time since a 1991 event in Orlando that a tournament will feature an all-U.S. quarterfinal lineup.
Michelsen came from behind to beat France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-7 (0), 6-4, 6-2.
Second-seeded Frances Tiafoe got past Australia’s Adam Walton 7-5, 6-3, and fourth-seeded Brandon Nakashima downed Mackenzie McDonald 6-1, 7-5 in an all-American affair.
Christopher Eubanks won his first set 6-1 before Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori retired due to injury.
The quarterfinals will consist of Jenson Brooksby vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic, top-seeded Tommy Paul vs. Colton Smith, Eubanks vs. Nakashima and Michelsen vs. Tiafoe.
Grand Prix Hassan II
No. 1 seed Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands needed three sets to advance to the quarterfinals, while No. 2 seed Lorenzo Sonego of Italy was ousted in Marrakech, Morocco.
Griekspoor needed two hours and 23 minutes to dispatch Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3, hitting 13 aces along the way.
The Czech Republic’s Vit Kopriva, meanwhile, saved 6 of 10 break points on his way to a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Sonego in two hours and 42 minutes. Kopriva had fewer winners than Sonego (24-21) but also fewer unforced errors (40-35).
Two other Italians fared better than Sonego on Thursday. No. 7 seed Luciano Darderi rallied past Frenchman Hugo Gaston 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, and No. 8 Mattia Bellucci beat French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 7-5.
Tiriac Open
In a match postponed from Wednesday by rain, No. 1 seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina finished off Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-2 in Bucharest, Romania.
Diallo had a 4-1 edge in aces, but Baez saved 5 of 9 break points while converting 4 of 6 break-point opportunities.
No. 2 seed Pedro Martinez of Spain rallied past Swiss wild card Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur was a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 winner over Romania’s Filip Cristian Jianu.
Australian Christopher O’Connell toppled fourth seed Nicolas Jarry of Chile 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (5) — charging back from a 3-0 deficit in the third-set tiebreaker — and Marton Fucsovics of Hungary beat No. 7 Mariano Navone of Argentina 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
–Field Level Media
