Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka crashed out of the Italian Open within the first spherical on Tuesday after a humiliating defeat to 18-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti. The three-time Grand Slam winner, the 10th seed in Rome, misplaced 6-Zero, 7-6 (7/2) in opposition to a participant ranked 249th on this planet. Wawrinka, at 35 the oldest participant within the match, fought again after trailing 2-Zero within the second set, but it surely was already too late to regain management. Musetti had solely performed one tour-level match earlier than dealing with the previous world quantity three in Rome, ousting Wawrinka after one hour and 24 minutes. “I’ve seen him play on tv and I do know he’s a really robust participant,” mentioned Musetti, who will subsequent meet Kei Nishikori within the second spherical.
“I’ll benefit from the victory earlier than I begin excited about my match in opposition to Nishikori.”
Musetti, the youngest participant within the desk, was born in 2002, the yr Wawrinka took his first steps on the skilled circuit.
His coach, Simone Tartarini mentioned earlier than the match it was an “not possible mission” for his younger protege.
“However Lorenzo likes this type of scenario, so he is very motivated,” he mentioned.
Like Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka has given up on the American onerous courtroom tour at Cincinnati and the US Open.
His solely competitors since resuming after a six-month hiatus linked to the coronavirus pandemic was a Challenger match on clay in Prague.
The Rome match is a tune-up for the French Open in Roland Garros from September 27.
Favourites Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and prime ladies’s seed Simona Halep will start their campaigns on Wednesday.
Nadal, after six months with out official matches, will tackle compatriot Pablo Carreno, a current semi-finalist of the US Open.
Djokovic takes on 87th-ranked Italian Salvatore Caruso and Halep enjoying Italian Jasmine Paolini, ranked 99th.
Elsehwere US Open quarter-finalist Andrey Rublev, eased previous Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis 6-Four, 6-Four and subsequent meets Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.
Rublev hit 25 winners for his 20th match win of the season, successful two ATP Tour titles this yr in Qatar and Adelaide earlier than the season was suspended.
Canadians Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov each superior. Shapovalov, the 12th seed, beat Argentine Guido Pella 6-2, 6-Three with 13th-seed Raonic ousting France’s Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (7/Three), 6-2.
Italy’s Marco Cecchinato, a semi-finalist in Roland Garros two years in the past, battled previous Britain’s Kyle Edmund Three-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 and subsequent meets Serb Filip Krajinovic.
– Muguruza advances, Kerber out –
Within the ladies’s match Spaniard Garbine Muguruza dispatched American Sloane Stephens in straight units with Russian Svetlana Kuznestova battling via for her first win for the reason that tennis restart.
Muguruza, the 2016 French Open champion and seeded ninth in Rome, eased via 6-Three, 6-Three behind closed doorways on the crimson clay on the Foro Italico.
It was a tough opener for Muguruza in opposition to former US Open winner Stephens who additionally has a pedigree on clay, reaching the ultimate in Roland Garros two years in the past.
Muguruza hit 22 winners and broke Stephens 4 occasions, regardless of an hour-long rain delay.
She subsequent meets 16-year-old American Coco Gauff, who obtained her first profession fundamental draw win on clay in opposition to Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-Four, 6-Three.
“I knew I had a tricky match in opposition to Sloane,” mentioned Muguruza.
“I am simply proud of my efficiency since is simply the third match I’m able to play in a very long time.”
Gauff, ranked 53, struggled together with her serve with seven double faults however battled again from a Four-2 deficit within the first set in opposition to her Tunisian rival who hit 29 unforced errors.
Former French Open winner Kuznetsova had a harder battle with American Bernarda Pera earlier than pulling via Three-6, 7-6 (7/Three), 6-Three.
The 2-time Grand Slam champion got here from a set and a break down and a Three-Zero deficit within the tiebreak to arrange a gathering with Estonian 14th seed Anett Kontaveit.
Promoted
The change from onerous courtroom on the US Open to clay proved tough for former world primary Angelique Kerber, who reached the fourth spherical at Flushing Meadows.
Kerber, the 15th seed, fell 6-Three, 6-1 to Czech Katerina Siniakova who subsequent performs Daria Kasatkina of Russia.
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