WINSTON SALEM: Second seed Kevin Anderson needed three sets while French grass-court specialist Nicolas Mahut recorded the biggest upset at the ATP Tour’s Winston-Salem Open on Tuesday, a final US Open tune-up.

South Africa’s Anderson eventually toppled Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 on the hardcourts at Wake Forest University.

France’s Mahut ousted the third-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-1, 7-6 (7-0).

Mahut is known for being involved in the longest match in pro tennis history four years ago when he faced John Isner in the opening round at Wimbledon. The marathon match lasted over 11 hours and set a record for most points won in a single match.

Tuesday’s win was just Mahut’s second over Robredo in five career meetings.

Red-hot Belgian qualifier David Goffin breezed past fourth-seeded Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 6-1, and Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz defeated sixth-seeded Portuguese Joao Sousa 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5).

Goffin has actually won his last 24 matches, including an ATP title in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic celebrates her win over Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova after their match at the Connecticut Open.—AFP

The 11th-seeded American Donald Young rolled over Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-1, 6-3, 12th-seeded Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin outlasted Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, and 14th-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi beat Argentine Federico Delbonis 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2.

Unseeded Sam Querrey saw off fellow American Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-3.

TOP SEED HALEP OUSTED

NEW HAVEN: Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova sent top-seeded Simona Halep crashing out of the WTA Tour’s Connecticut Open in one of two second round upsets at the final US Open tune-up here on Tuesday.

Halep, the reigning champ, had her serve broken six times and Rybarikova saved 10 of 14 break opportunities en route to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory at the Connecticut Tennis Centre facility.

Second-seeded Petra Kvitova, last year’s runner-up to Halep, cruised past Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals in a match that lasted just 48 minutes on the hardcourts.

Unseeded Alison Riske became the first player to reach the quarters by upsetting sixth-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).

American Riske, who never trailed in the second set tie-breaker, blasted eight aces and was a perfect five for five on break points in the 94-minute match.

Riske jumped out to a 3-1 second set lead, but Pennetta was able to tie it at 3-3. The players held serve the rest of the way, setting the stage for the tie-breaker.

Riske snapped a four-match losing streak with a straight set victory over Casey Dellacqua in her tournament opener. Riske next faces Rybarikova.

In other second-round action on Tuesday, Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova eased past France’s Caroline Garcia in straight sets win of 7-5, 6-2.

Zahlavova Strycova had two aces, went four-for-five on break points and saved 12 of 13 on her own serve in the one-hour, four- minute match.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014