Tiafoe overcomes in-form Cobolli for first-round win in Halle

Halle (Germany), June 15 (IANS) American star Frances Tiafoe made a winning debut at the Terra Wortmann Open, overcoming the in-form Flavio Cobolli in style in an absorbing first-round clash in Halle, Germany, on Monday.

Ranked No. 26 in the ATP Rankings, Tiafoe prevailed 6-2, 7-6(4) against Cobolli, the Roland Garros finalist and World No. 10, to improve to 13-0 in opening rounds this season. With his 85-minute triumph against Cobolli, Tiafoe also registered his first Top-10 victory since 2024.

“Obviously, he’s a hell of a player and had a hell of a season,” Tiafoe told ATPTour.com in Halle on Monday. “But I knew he was coming out for his first match [this year] on grass, and you have to find your feet under you, and obviously he’s got to come down to reality after the final. That’s never easy, especially on a whole different surface.

“I tried to just come out there flying and make it super tough for him. Play really fast and make him feel uncomfortable. It was a good day. He’s going to be ready to go for Wimbledon. He’s a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, so he knows how to play on grass.”

Tiafoe broke in Cobolli’s opening two service games and later recovered from an early mini-break deficit to clinch the second-set tie-break and the match. The 28-year-old won 81 per cent (34/42) of points behind his first serve and did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Tiafoe now leads Cobolli 4-1 in the pair’s ATP head-to-head series, having also won their most recent meeting before Halle in Indian Wells in March. Awaiting the American in the second round in Halle will be Tallon Griekspoor or Sho Shimabukuro.

Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced on the German grass on Monday, although the second seed was taken the distance by Nuno Borges in his first-round match. The 2021 Halle semi-finalist Auger-Aliassime pulled away for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win to become the fifth man to earn 25 tour-level wins this season. The Canadian will play Learner Tien next, after the American lefty opened the day’s play with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against wild card Max Schoenhaus.

Daniel Altmaier enjoyed a long-sought-after taste of victory in his opening match. The 27-year-old earned his first grass-court win at an ATP Tour event on home soil by downing Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-5, 6-4. Altmaier, who was 0-6 in his career across Halle and Stuttgart before Monday, will next try to book a quarter-final spot by downing eighth seed Andrey Rublev or former champion Hubert Hurkacz.

In the other first-round match played Monday, Terence Atmane edged Martin Landaluce 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2). Frenchman Atmane will play fourth seed Daniil Medvedev or Tomas Martin Etcheverry next.

–IANS

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