ATP roundup: Matteo Arnaldi, Reilly Opelka score big wins in D.C.

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The summer tennis season kicked into high gear on Monday, with opening-round action across the United States and Europe delivering a full spectrum of drama. The day was a perfect showcase of the tension and excitement that defines the ATP Tour, where a match can turn on a single point. From a miraculous comeback that saw a player save four match points to a serving masterclass from one of the sport’s biggest weapons, the day was filled with compelling performances that gave fans plenty to talk about and sports handicappers a ton of new data to analyze as the tournaments unfold.

Mubadala Citi D.C. Open: Arnaldi’s Miraculous Comeback Saves Four Match Points

The most stunning performance of the day came from Washington, where Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi pulled off an incredible escape to win his opening-round match. He rallied for a dramatic 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2) victory over Germany’s Daniel Altmaier after saving four separate match points. Arnaldi faced a daunting triple match point situation while trailing in the 10th game of the final set but showed incredible nerve to fight them all off and extend the match. After Altmaier saved two match points himself to force a tiebreaker, Arnaldi dominated the decider to complete the thrilling comeback. His clutch performance under pressure is the kind of win that can define a season and will surely have him rocketing up the tour’s weekly leaderboard.

While Arnaldi won with grit, American Reilly Opelka won with pure power. He fired 23 aces in his three-set victory over Murphy Cassone, putting on a serving clinic.

Reilly OpelkaServing Stats
Aces23
1st Serve Points Won53 of 61
1st Serve Win %86.9%

Generali Open: Seeds Survive Three-Set Battles in Austria

In the clay courts of Kitzbuhel, Austria, it was a day of survival for the seeded players. All three seeds in action were pushed to their absolute limits but managed to escape with grueling three-set victories. No. 6 seed Arthur Rinderknech of France needed two hours and 47 minutes to get past Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis. He was joined in the next round by No. 7 seed Francisco Comesana and No. 8 seed Marton Fucsovics, who both also required a deciding set to advance.

Plava Laguna Croatia Open: Wawrinka Cruises as Seeds Tumble

It was a mixed bag for the big names in Umag, Croatia, where a living legend cruised while two other seeds were sent packing. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka looked sharp in his opening match, dismissing Venezuelan qualifier Alvaro Guillen Meza 6-4, 6-1 as he continues his quest for his first ATP title since 2017.

However, two other seeded players were upset in straight sets. Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili knocked off No. 6 seed Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain, and Spanish qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz took out No. 7 seed Kamil Majchrzak of Poland. The upsets in Croatia have opened up that section of the draw, a development that will be analyzed closely on all the top sports picks sites.

Looking Ahead

Monday’s dramatic results have set up some intriguing second-round matchups. All eyes will be on Matteo Arnaldi in Washington to see if he can carry the momentum from his incredible comeback into his next match. In Croatia, Stan Wawrinka will face a much tougher test against the No. 4 seed, Damir Dzumhur. With the second round now taking shape, the live odds and scores for these tournaments will be updated to reflect Monday’s dramatic results.

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John Walsh
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