Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2016: Tuesday Tennis Results and Updated Schedule
Roberto Bautista Agut became the first top-seeded player to exit the 2016 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Tuesday, as he lost to Russian teenager Karen Khachanov in three sets.
Khachanov, who mainly competes on the Challenger circuit, took a quick lead in the first set and seemed to be on the verge of a rapid upset, but Bautista Agut fought back to force a tiebreak in the second. Struggles in the return game hurt him in the third, however, and Khachanov eventually served out the match.
Ernests Gulbis’ horror 2016 season continued with a three-set loss against qualifier Marton Fucsovics, while Marcel Granollers and Mikhail Youzhny both qualified for the second round with relative ease.
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Here’s a look at Tuesday’s results:
| Alexandr Dolgopolov (11) bt. Evgeny Donskoy | 4-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4 |
| Marcel Granollers bt. Daniel Munoz de la Nava | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Mikhail Youzhny bt. Rajeev Ram | 6-2, 6-2 |
| Marton Fucsovics (Q) bt. Ernests Gulbis | 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Pablo Carreno Busta bt. Denis Istomin | 7-5, 7-5 |
| Ivan Dodig bt. Pedro Cachin (Q) | 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Karen Khachanov (Q) bt. Roberto Bautista Agut (5) | 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3 |
| Benoit Paire (6) bt. Teymuraz Gabashvili | 6-2, 7-5 |
| Jeremy Chardy (13) bt. Victor Estrellaburgos | 7-5, 6-2 |
| Alberto Ramos-Vinolas bt. Jaume Munar (W) | 6-3, 6-2 |
To access the schedule for this year’s Barcelona Open, visit the ATP's official website.
Recap
Bautista Agut entered this year's Barcelona Open as the fifth-seeded player after a handful of solid performances in the past few months, but the 28-year-old didn't look nearly his best on Tuesday.
Usually a prolific defender, he allowed Khachanov to fire far too many shots from a set position, losing the battle on the baseline.
The 19-year-old Khachanov more than held his own in the rallies, and he routinely came through with big passing shots and some remarkable winners, including this one, via TennisTV:
Bautista Agut grew into the match after a sloppy start, but with momentum on his side, Khachanov produced the best performance of his young career by overcoming a tough tiebreak and keeping his calm in the final set.
ESPN's Brad Gilbert was impressed:
Khachanov will be one to keep an eye on as the tournament progresses. His powerful style of play built around groundstrokes seems more suited for the faster surfaces, but he showed excellent mobility against Agut, as well as the defensive abilities to shine on clay.
Thanks to his win over a seeded opponent, he faces a slightly easier schedule moving forward, and he'll meet Alexandr Dolgopolov in the next round.
Gulbis has struggled with form all season long, and his latest setback came on Tuesday, as he lost against qualifier Fucsovics in three sets. The 27-year-old started well but completely lost control of his serve in the second and third sets, per tennis writer Ricky Dimon:
With seven aces in the first set, it looked like the Gulbis of old had returned, but as soon as he started making mistakes with his first serve, his play fell apart. His confidence seemed to vanish, and Fucsovics took full advantage.
The Hungarian, who has mainly featured on the Challenger circuit in 2016, fought back from a break down in the second set and resorted to clean, safe tennis, keeping Gulbis moving and waiting for him to make a mistake. The tactic worked and sent the 24-year-old to the next round.
Youzhny cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Rajeev Ram. He dominated the American with his accuracy and serve game. Youzhny never faced a single break chance, while Ram had to defend no fewer than 11 and gave up four breaks in total.
Ram was clearly outmatched from the opening game, and every time he failed to get enough distance in his serve, Youzhny made him pay. After less than 70 minutes, the Russian booked his spot in the next round.
Granollers needed a little longer to get past compatriot Daniel Munoz de la Nava, who proved a tricky challenger for the clay expert. The 30-year-old local favourite gave up one break but pulled two back before booking his second-round spot inside 90 minutes.
Along the way, he dazzled fans with some fantastic shots, including this beauty, via TennisTV:
Granollers has been in solid form of late and made the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, but with a match against Rafael Nadal next on the schedule, his bid to finally grab his first title in his hometown may already be over.
Per the Associated Press, Nadal told reporters how excited he was to return to Spain after winning in Monte Carlo last week:
"I'm really happy to have won one of the most important tournaments of the year. I won't talk about what's missing or what I'm lacking right now. I have to be satisfied with what I've accomplished.
This part of the season, with Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and then Roland Garros, is the most emotional part of the year for me.
I play at home in Barcelona and next week, too, in Madrid, and it's a fact that I always enjoy playing in front of Spanish crowds, so I'm very excited.
"
Ivan Dodig needed three sets to get past qualifier Pedro Cachin, while Dolgopolov scraped by Evgeny Donskoy.
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