Adrian Mannarino produced the result of the opening round at the Libema Open, ending defending champion Gabriel Diallo's title defense 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. Marin Cilic and Nuno Borges came through their first matches earlier, while Martin Damm and Zhizhen Zhang both advanced from the lower half of the draw. Rain cut the Tuesday afternoon short, suspending two matches deep in progress: Hubert Hurkacz led Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 1-2 on serve, and home sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor was 2-0 up in the deciding set against Botic van de Zandschulp, both to resume Wednesday.
Mannarino ends Diallo's reign after snapping a nine-match skid
The French veteran walked on court having lost nine matches in a row, eight of them on clay, and walked off having ended Gabriel Diallo's title defense 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in two and a half hours. A champion here in 2019, the 37-year-old Frenchman holds 18 career wins at this tournament, more than anyone else in the draw, and grass is where his game travels best. In a tight first meeting between the two, Diallo twice broke back early in the deciding set, but Mannarino held his nerve and broke to love in the twelfth game to close it out. He won 14 of 25 serve pressure points and stayed busy on return, taking 16 of 35 return pressure points to keep Diallo under pressure across the match. Mannarino said afterward the match could have gone either way and that a few late errors from Diallo went his way. For the 24-year-old Canadian, defending the only title of his career, the early exit deepens a difficult season.
Cilic fights back past Shapovalov in three sets
Marin Cilic recovered from a set down to beat Denis Shapovalov 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 in a meeting of two former top-10 players still chasing their best form. This was a comeback rather than a procession: Cilic trailed by two breaks in the second set and was broken twice in the third before steadying himself each time and pulling clear at the finish. His grass-court record over the past year, now 11-2, did the talking, and his return game was the difference, taking 15 of 29 return pressure points against a Shapovalov serve that could not protect its leads. After the loss, Shapovalov took issue with being filmed as he left the court. The win sends Cilic, dangerous on this surface, into the second round.
Damm topples Munar from outside the top 100
Martin Damm, the 22-year-old American ranked No. 114, beat world No. 44 Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4 in a clean straight-sets upset. At 6-foot-8, Damm leaned on his serve throughout, winning 80% of his first-serve points and firing 12 aces past the Spaniard, and his pressure numbers told the same story: he took 10 of 11 serve pressure points while saving the only break point he faced. Munar, far more comfortable on clay, never solved Damm's serve-and-volley rhythm. Damm converted both of his break chances and took 4 of 6 return pressure points to seal a result that lifts a player still establishing himself at tour level.
Zhang outlasts Brooksby in a battle of slumping form
Zhizhen Zhang and Jenson Brooksby met as two players badly out of form, and it was Zhang who found a way through 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-1. The Chinese player took a tight opening set in a tiebreak, lost his way as Brooksby leveled, then ran away with the decider for the loss of one game. The serve held him together, 14 aces across the match and 15 of 24 serve pressure points won, and he added 10 of 24 on return. The win snaps a seven-match main-draw losing streak for Zhang, while Brooksby's own run now stretches to nine.
Borges sees off a frustrated Atmane
Nuno Borges beat Terence Atmane 6-4, 6-4 in their first meeting, staying composed while his opponent grew increasingly agitated, throwing his racket as the match slipped away. Atmane's 13 aces were not enough to offset a serve that gave way at the wrong moments. Borges was flawless when it mattered, winning all five serve pressure points he faced, and although he converted just two of six break chances, his 6 of 17 return pressure points were enough against an opponent who could not string together a sustained spell. The win continues a steady grass stretch for the Portuguese, 5-4 on the surface over the past year.
Wednesday matches preview
Alongside two matches to be completed, some Tuesday's matches are yet to start, rescheduled for tomorrow. Kamil Majchrzak meets Otto virtanen in an exciting clash with the storyline behind it being already described in our tournament preview article. Second round starts with one of tournament's heavy favorites. Alex De Minaur starts his grass courts campaign against American qualifier Martin Damm. Ugo Humbert and Benjamin Bonzi play the all-French encounter after winning their matches in straight sets on Monday.
