Bellucci Advances in Cincinnati: Svajda Beaten in Double Tie-Break

Mattia Bellucci beat Zachary Svajda 7-6(0), 7-6(4) in just over two hours in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, managing a left knee issue late in the match.

The discomfort appeared in the tenth game of the second set. Bellucci called for the trainer, received on-court treatment and returned with no visible limitations, closing out the tie-break 7-4 on his second match point.

For the Italian left-hander it's his first career win in Cincinnati and his fifth at Masters 1000 level. It's also his first win in two months: the last one came on June 16 in Halle, when he eliminated Alexander Bublik, the defending champion of that tournament.

The match said little about form. Svajda, world number 87, fired eight aces to the Italian's six, but neither player found consistency on return: one break point converted out of seven for Bellucci, one out of six for the American. With service games almost always safe, everything came down to the tie-breaks, and there the Italian played his best points. He won the first one to love.

In the second round Bellucci faces Jakub Mensik, the number 14 seed.