The round of 16 delivered on all fronts on Wednesday in Kitzbühel. The top four seeds made their first appearances at the Generali Open, bringing suspense, drama and confirmation that this tournament will not be straightforward.
Alexander Bublik, the defending champion and top seed, was rattled early by Facundo Díaz Acosta. The Argentine took the first set 6-4 by dictating rallies from the baseline. But the Kazakh found his range in the second set, mixing net approaches and rhythm changes that define his game. A 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in just under two hours for a Bublik who knows he must raise his level.
The match of the day pitted Arthur Rinderknech, the third seed, against Jan-Lennard Struff, the sixth. The Frenchman dropped the first set 3-6 before clinging on in a second-set tiebreak won 7-5. In the decider, Rinderknech found the resources to close it out 6-4, unpicking German solidity through an improved serve and aggressive returning. A two-and-a-half-hour contest that set the tone for this tournament.
Tomás Martín Etcheverry, the fourth seed, was the most composed. The Argentine dispatched qualifier Jurij Rodionov 6-4, 6-2 in barely over an hour, confirming his status as one of the most consistent clay-courters outside the top 20.
Among the unseeded players, Ignacio Buse, the surprise Hamburg champion in May, recorded a three-set win over Vitaliy Kopriva 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-1, confirming his recent form. Sebastian Baez, a former top-20 player, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
In Estoril, the Millennium Open saw its top seeds enter the fray. Andrey Rublev, fresh from his Bastad title, began his Portuguese campaign on Wednesday. Nuno Borges, the fifth seed and local favourite, advanced by defeating Burruchaga, who had beaten Stan Wawrinka in the previous round.
In Prague, the WTA Livesport Prague Open served up an all-Czech duel as an appetizer. Barbora Krejcikova, the second seed, controlled Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2, 6-4 in front of a crowd supporting both players. Sara Bejlek, the third seed, earned a three-set win over Anna Blinkova 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-1, with a first-set tiebreak of rare intensity for an opening round.
