Rome, May 7 (IANS) Daniel Altmaier saved two match points to overcome Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 in the Italian Open first round. for his first ATP Masters 1000 match win of the season.

The 27-year-old’s now set up a second-round meeting with two-time Rome champion Alexander Zverev, who leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-1.

Elsewhere, Yannick Hanfmann and Jan-Lennard Struff also advanced. Hanfmann downed former Top-10 star Hubert Hurkacz 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-2 to set a second-round clash with 18th seed Luciano Darderi. Struff defeated Francisco Comesana 6-2, 6-4 and will next take on 11th seed Jiri Lehecka, ATP reports.

Home favourite Matteo Arnaldi maintained his run of good form by pulling through a difficult opening test against Jaume Munar.

Arnaldi, who lifted the trophy at the ATP Challenger 175 event in Cagliari last week, earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory for his first tour-level match win in six attempts this year. The Italian will play sixth seed Alex de Minaur for a third-round spot.

Sebastian Baez and Nuno Borges were among the other first-round winners on Day 1 at the Foro Italico.

Baez needed seven match points but finally completed a 6-3, 7-6(8) victory against Jenson Brooksby and will next play ninth seed Alexander Bublik. Meanwhile Portuguese star Borges raced past qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-3, 6-0 and will be the second-round opponent for fast-rising Rafael Jodar.

In the women’s singles, Alexandra Eala, the only player from the Philippines to appear in the Italian Open in the Open Era, rallied from a break down in the final set to beat Poland’s Magdalena Frech and advance to the second round in Rome with a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win in 2 hours, 21 minutes.

The victory was Eala’s 15th main-draw win on the WTA Tour this season, the most by a left-handed player, and marked her fifth consecutive opening-match win at WTA 1000 events.

She will next meet 31st seed Wang Xinyu, who won their only previous encounter – a three-set victory in the Auckland semifinals in January.

–IANS

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