Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth and Alexei Popyrin all posted straight-sets first-round wins on the Canadian Masters 1000 occasion.
Montreal, Canada, 8 August 2024 | Dan Imhoff
Thanasi Kokkinakis has ensured a clear sweep for the 5 Australians in first-round motion on the Montreal Masters on Wednesday after beating Frenchman Gael Monfils in straight units.
The 81st-ranked qualifier eased previous the world No.34 6-3 6-3 to set a second-round assembly with fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz, a participant he fell to a few occasions on exhausting courts final 12 months.
It marked Kokkinakis’ first win on the Canadian Masters, a decade after he made his Masters 1000 debut as a qualifier in Toronto.
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Jordan Thompson, Alexei Popyrin, qualifier Rinky Hijikata and fortunate loser James Duckworth additionally superior in straight units.
The in-form Thompson, who this week broke into the highest 30 for the primary time, noticed off the 22-year-old world No.28 7-5 6-2 on a powerful day for his countrymen.
Thompson holds a 2-1 benefit in his document towards world No.4 Zverev, having crushed him within the Los Cabos semifinal this 12 months, en route to his maiden tour title, and within the spherical of 32 in Tokyo final 12 months, whereas Zverev claimed their first assembly in Washington seven years in the past.
World No.62 Popyrin additionally upstaged a higher-ranked opponent when he introduced down 39th-ranked Czech Thomas Machac 6-3 6-4.
Machac had little time to arrange for the change to exhausting court docket, having arrived from the clay in Paris, the place he picked up a blended doubles gold and reached the boys’s doubles semifinals.
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Because the Czech served to remain within the match, play was suspended when a spectator collapsed within the stands. After the lady was seen to and play resumed, Popyrin maintained focus to shut it out a sport later for a second-round showdown towards 11th seed Ben Shelton.
Shelton beat the 24-year-old on his option to a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Melbourne Park final 12 months.
In a battle of qualifiers, 74th-ranked Hijikata snapped a four-match shedding streak in ATP primary attracts to beat Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1 7-5. The win set a gathering with seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov.
World No.80 Duckworth made probably the most of his fortunate loser call-up for a 6-4 6-1 victory towards 37th ranked Marcos Giron.
It was his greatest win since he beat then No.14 Shelton at Stuttgart in June and locked in a primary assembly with sixth seed Casper Ruud.
