ATP roundup: Milestone victory for Tommy Paul in Stockholm
Tommy Paul won his career-best 42nd singles match on tour this season, as the fourth seed defeated Laslo Djere 6-2, 7-6 (2) on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm.
Paul, who won this event in 2021, recorded seven aces and 27 winners and forced Serbia's Djere to save nine of 12 break points as the American advanced to the quarterfinals.
Second-seeded Casper Ruud, who hadn't played in this tournament since 2019, became the first Norwegian to win a match in Stockholm by defeating Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 7-6 (3). Ruud will face seventh-seeded Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, who downed British qualifier Jacob Fearnley 7-6 (0), 6-3.
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 6 seed Brandon Nakashima. Switzerland's Dominic Stricker won his second-round match over Italy's Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (6), 6-4,
European Open
Top seed Alex de Minaur rallied from an opening-set loss to defeat Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to the quarterfinals in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Australian has not played since the U.S. Open quarterfinals because of a hip injury. He recorded 24 winners to help compensate for 31 unforced errors.
His next opponent is France's Hugo Gaston, who won a two-hour, 50-minute battle with Argentina's seventh-seeded Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4). Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut ousted Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry, the sixth seed, 7-6 (2), 6-4 to become at age 36 the oldest quarterfinalist in the event's history.
Third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada responded to a slow start in a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 victory over Marton Fucsovics of Hungary.
Almaty Open
Fourth-seeded Francisco Cerundolo ended German wild-card Justin Engel's historic run with a 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory and moved on to the quarterfinals in Kazakhstan.
Engel, 17, had defeated Coleman Wong on Monday to become the first player born in 2007 or later to win an ATP Tour match. Argentina's Cerundolo, who has 30 tour-level wins this year after 39 in 2023, benefited from Engel's 35 unforced errors, to 24 for the victor.
Also in the second round, second-seeded Alejandro Tabilo of Chile won in straight sets over Maximilian Marterer of Germany 6-2, 6-4; Canada's Gabriel Diallo knocked off Croatia's Borna Coric 7-6 (1), 6-4; and Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko eliminated Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-5.
