Medvedev, Tsitsipas advance in Halle
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev eased past home hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-3 at Germany's Halle Open on Monday, looking to find form in his Wimbledon tune-up after early round losses at the Australian Open and French Open.
Bouncing back after a quarter-final exit in Den Bosch last week, the former US Open winner and 2022 Halle finalist needed just an hour to beat the German, converting three of six break point opportunities and saving both break points he faced.
Altmaier saved two match points on Medvedev's serve but was ultimately beaten on the third, as the twice Wimbledon semi-finalist closed out his opening Halle match and inched closer in his chase for a first grass-court title since Mallorca in 2021.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded at an event for the first time since 2018 ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, edged past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 7-6(5) in a gruelling first-round battle.
Tsitsipas broke for a 3-2 lead in the first set and held off a late charge from Darderi to take it 6-4. The Italian hit back in style, breaking early for 3-0 and racing to a 6-3 second set to force a decider.
The final set was tight throughout, with Darderi earning five break points but unable to convert. Tsitsipas kept his composure and clinched the match in a tense tiebreak, needing four match points to seal victory.
It was his first event with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team after a second-round exit at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, a former world number three, is now ranked 25th, his lowest position since 2018.
The Greek is looking to resurrect his career and Wimbledon holds particular importance for the 26-year-old, with the fourth round his best showing so far.
Alexander Bublik, Halle 2023 winner, dispatched France's Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-4. The Kazakh broke late in the first set and struck early in the second, dominating on serve to wrap up the match in exactly one hour.
Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals two weeks ago before losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner of Italy, will next face either Halle defending champion Sinner or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, who play on Tuesday.
Last year's runner-up Hubert Hurkacz of Poland withdrew from the event due to injury, with Dutchman Jesper de Jong taking his place in the main draw.
Alcaraz in disbelief
Carlos Alcaraz says he still looks back on his extraordinary French Open triumph over world number one Jannik Sinner with a sense of disbelief, as the Spaniard prepares to shift focus to his bid for a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles.
The 22-year-old fought back from two sets down and saved three successive match points in an unlikely 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) victory against the Italian in a match that mesmerised the Paris crowd.
"(There are) a lot of videos from that match, from that moment, match point down and I still watch it sometimes, and I still don't believe that I come back from that moment," Alcaraz told reporters.
"So sometimes it's difficult to realise that I'm in this position, that I won the French Open, watching the videos from 40-love, in that moment. So I'm still watching those videos."
The five-times Grand Slam champion recharged his batteries with a short trip to Ibiza but is back in harness ahead of his campaign at Queen's Club, where he faces countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opener on Tuesday. Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the season, runs from June 30 to July 13.
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