Indian qualifier dumps Monfils but Zverev foils Aussie upset bid

Reuters

Alexander Zverev took advantage of late errors by Jordan Thompson during a third-set tiebreaker to advance to the third round of the Citi Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory on Wednesday.

Leading 5-4 in the tiebreaker, Thompson put a routine backhand into the net and then double-faulted. The eighth-ranked Zverev put away the match with a cross-court forehand that the 75th-ranked Australian couldn't handle.

Zverev, a 20-year-old German, is a winner of three titles this year, two of them on clay.

"I'm just happy to get through that one. Seven to six in the third is always something very nice," Zverev said. "You feel good about yourself. Hopefully I can do it better the next match."

Tenth-ranked Milos Raonic of Canada, who beat Zverev in the fourth round of Wimbledon this year, also advanced, defeating Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (2), 7-6 (8). Raonic, the 2014 Citi Open champion, next faces veteran Marcos Baghdatis. They haven't played each other in five years.

In the biggest upset of the tournament, Yuki Bhambri of India, a qualifier who came in with a career ATP record of 17-16, beat 22nd-ranked Gael Monfils of France, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Bhambri next faces Argentina's Guido Pella, who upset Zverev's older brother, Mischa.

"This is what every tennis player dreams of. This is where every tennis player wants to be," Bhambri said after seeing off the defending champion. "It's a huge confidence booster for me to know that I belong here. I can compete with the best."

The Citi Open is a hardcourt tuneup for the US Open, which starts on August 28.

On the women's side, 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard of Canada upset US eighth seed Christina McHale 7-6 (6), 6-0. Bouchard visited Andre Agassi in Las Vegas for some help with her game.

"It's top secret stuff," she said. "Yes, I got lots of pointers."

French second seed Kristina Mladenovic, who won her only WTA title in February at St Petersburg, Russia, outlasted Germany's Tatjana Maria 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

"Nothing has changed for me," Mladenovic said. "I'm just working on elevating my game and playing hard."

Also, Mladenovic's compatriot Oceane Dodin beat Italy's Sara Errani 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.

In Stanford, California, Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza beat Kayla Day 6-2, 6-0 to reach the Bank of the West Classic quarterfinals on Wednesday, easily advancing from her first competitive match since beating Venus Williams in the final at the All England Club last month.

The top-seeded Muguruza overwhelmed the 17-year-old American in less than an hour.

"Kayla has just won the US Open in juniors and she's just very promising, so I knew I had to be concentrated today," Muguruza said.

The Spaniard will next No. 5-seeded Ana Konjuh of Croatia, a 7-5, 6-5 winner over Russia's Natalia Vikhlyantseva.

Five-time major winner Maria Sharapova withdrew from her scheduled match because of soreness in her left arm. Seventh-seeded Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine moved on to face Madison Keys.

The third-seeded Keys rallied past qualifier Caroline Dolehide 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American match. Keys won four straight games in the second set and made an early break in the third.