Hall of Fame Tennis Championships 2015: Tuesday Scores, Results and Schedule

The second day of action at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships brought more intrigue with the tournament debut of top-seeded John Isner to go along with four other ranked players hoping to avoid being knocked off early.     

Monday featured one big upset as John-Patrick Smith knocked off No. 3 seed Bernard Tomic in straight sets. This is a small event, starting with just 32 players in singles action, so the talent gap isn't as wide as it is in a traditional tournament. 

Favorites and underdogs, at least in a traditional sense, don't exist in this tournament. It's an eclectic mix of talented players in search of a championship, which always makes for great drama and intrigue on the court. 

Tuesday Results

Match	Winner	Loser	Score
No. 1 John Isner vs. Rajeev Ram	Rajeev Ram	John Isner	6-7, 6-3, 7-6
No. 4 Jack Sock vs. Radek Stepanek	Jack Sock	Radek Stepanek	6-2, 6-0
No. 5 Adrian Mannarino vs. Tommy Haas	-	-	7-6, 6-7 (Suspended because of Darkness)
No. 6 Sam Querrey vs. Matthew Ebden	Sam Querrey	Matthew Ebden	7-6, 7-6
No. 8 Tim Smyczek vs. Jan Hernych	Jan Hernych	Tim Smyczek	6-3, 6-4
Adrien Bossel vs. Dustin Brown	Dustin Brown	Adrien Bossel	7-6, 6-3
Ryan Harrison vs. Yuichi Sugita	Yuichi Sugita	Ryan Harrison	6-1, 5-7, 6-3
Ante Pavic vs. Malek Jaziri	Malek Jaziri	Ante Pavic	6-2, 4-6, 7-5
Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. Blaz Kavcic	Edouard Roger-Vasselin	Blaz Kavcic	4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Niels Desein vs. Lukas Lacko	Lukas Lacko	Niels Desein	6-3, 3-6, 6-2

Wednesday Schedule

Start Time (ET)	Matchup	Court
11 a.m.	John-Patrick Smith vs. Jared Donaldson	Center
11 a.m.	Rajeev Ram vs. Yuichi Sugita	Court 1
Not Before 12:30 p.m.	Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. Tommy Haas-Adrian Mannarino Winner	Center
Not Before 12:30 p.m.	Tatsuma Ito vs. Steve Johnson	Court 1
TBD	Lukas Lacko vs. Jack Sock	Center
TBD	Jan Hernych vs. Alejandro Falla	Court 1
TBD	Sam Querrey vs. Dustin Brown	Center
TBD	Malek Jaziri vs. Ivo Karlovic	Court 1

Recap

It turns out Isner had reasons to be wary, as the top seed was eliminated after Rajeev Ram took the last two sets for his first singles win of 2015. 

Ram's key to success was being able to match the power of Isner's serve, firing off 18 aces of his own against 21 for the No. 1 player in the tournament. The second set was particularly fruitful for the 31-year-old's return game, as he only allowed three aces after giving up eight in dropping the opening set.

This tournament has been one of Isner's best, winning twice in his career, so an early exit was not in the plans. The 6'10" star has continued his recent struggles after losing in the third round at Wimbledon, albeit to No. 9 seed Marin Cilic. 

It was also a notable loss for Isner because of his success when winning the first set, as noted by Josh Meiseles of ATPWorldTour.com:

With Isner and Tomic out, the balance of power in this tournament has shifted greatly in 24 hours. Ivo Karlovic is the highest-ranked player still in the field, No. 2 overall, and got the day off after a victory on Monday. 

The day's other big upset saw eighth-seeded Tim Smyczek taken down in straight sets by qualifier Jan Hernych. It's been a brutal run for ranked Americans so far in the tournament, though Jack Sock and Sam Querrey did provide a highlight with their victories. 

A total of five United States players have been knocked off in the first two days, though two of them came against fellow countrymen. 

On a positive note, per Tennis Atlantic, Hernych is building momentum heading into the second round against Alejandro Falla:

Players like Hernych and Ram are whom this tournament was made for. They don't have the raw talent to compete against elite players, but there are still small events that give them a chance to fight for a title and keep their career going strong. 

There is still a long way to go with the first round completed. Early upsets have opened plenty of doors, so expect a lot more turmoil as the balance of power shifts.