Madrid Masters 1000, Luciano Darderi and Lorenzo Sonego win

In the first round of the Madrid Masters 1000, Luciano Darderi, world number 46, beat Frenchman Quentin Halys, number 52, with a double 6-4 in less than an hour and a quarter of play. Lorenzo Sonego, number 43, also won, getting the better of Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, number 46, with a score of 6-4 7-6 in a couple of hours.

Darderi breached his opponent already in the first game of the match, on 3-2 he saved himself from 15-40 but then on 4-3 he conceded the counterbreak losing his service game to 15. However he immediately came back ahead in the next game on the fourth chance after missing three consecutive ones and then closed the partial by holding serve at 15.

Only one break in the second set and it is obviously in favor of Darderi, who at 2-2 goes up 15-40 on Halys’ serve, misses the first break ball and the second turns it. No other break ball for either player and Darderi ends the match by holding the serve to zero. Now the Italian-Argentine will meet the number 16 seed, the American Frances Tiafoe.

Turning to Sonego, the Turin player saves a break point in the second game, then it is he on 1-1 to break Kecmanovic, then misses four double break points, one on 3-1 and as many as three on 4-2 including two consecutive, saves him one on 4-3 and then on the third set point pockets the partial in the tenth game.

Kecmanovic saves three break points in the first game of the second set and Sonny two in the second, then the Italian in the saves another on 2-3 and another on 3-4. In the tie-break Lorenzo goes 3-1, gets caught up, it goes point to point until 5-5, Sonego has a match point and it is immediately the good one because the Turinese takes home the match on the Serb’s serve. Difficult opponent also for Sonny now because he will have to face Australian Alex De Minaur.