Five of the top 10 seeds progress comfortably at Fuzion 100 Ilkley Trophy

Tuesday of the Fuzion 100 Ilkley Trophy proved a difficult day for British wild cards against tough opposition while the five of the top 10 seeds progressed comfortably in the ATP Challenger tournament.
In the opening round at the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, George Loffhagen was beaten by Japan’s Hiroki Moriya, Alex Ward lost to Italian third seed Thomas Fabbiano and Aidan McHugh went out to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik.
Meanwhile, No 1 seed Jordan Thompson, second Jurgen Zopp, fifth seed Peter Polansky and seventh seed Michael Mmoh all moved into the second round.
Qualifier Noah Rubin from the United States served up the surprise of the day, defeating No 4 seed Ilya Ivashka of Belarus 6-2, 6-4.
Earlier in the day, the remaining women’s qualifying matches were played, with Tereza Smitkova, Bianca Andreescu, Abigail Tere-Apisah and Maria Sanchez all qualifying for the ITF Pro Circuit main draw. Smitkova will take on Italian Deborah Chiesa, Tere-Apisah will take on Swiss No 2 seed Belinda Bencic and Sanchez will face Russian No 7 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The only British woman on court on Tuesday was wild card Gabriella Taylor; however she fell to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-1, 6-3 in the first round.
But British success came on Centre Court when wild cards Liam Broady and Scott Clayton defeated experienced twin brothers Sanchai and Sonchat Raitwatana in straight sets 7-6(6), 6-4. Broady and Clayton will face No 3 seeds Purav Raja of India and John-Patrick Smith of Australia fourth on Centre Court on Wednesday.
And while there was disappointment for British pair Luke Johnson and Jack Findel-Hawkins,who lost to Jonathan Eysseric and Hugo Nys 7-6(4), 7-6(3), Nature Valley Open Nottingham doubles champions Brit Joe Salisbury and Danish partner Frederik Nielsen defeated no.1 seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo 6-3, 6-3.
Wednesday’s action will also have top seeds Kaia Kanepi and Belinda Bencic both in action for a place in round two, with No 1 seed Kanepi taking on Brit Maia Lumsden first on Centre Court and second seed Bencic face Abigail Tere-Apidah from Papua New Guinea second on Court 2.
Tickets are still available here: https://www.theticketfactory.com/ltaci/online/
Latest
-
ATP Tour
David Goffin ends long wait for an ATP title with a win in Montpellier
David Goffin captured his first ATP Tour title for more than three years by winning the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer sends his fans into a frenzy with Twitter post ahead of his return to action
Roger Federer fans are counting down to his return to action in Doha next week and his tweet teasing his return instantly became a big hit.
-
Tennis News
Iga Swiatek’s perfect week as she claims her second WTA title
Iga Swiatek won her second career WTA title with victory over Belinda Bencic in the final of the Adelaide International.
-
News
Jamie Murray says quarantine threat on tour means players must be ready to adapt
The doubles specialist plans to travel to tournaments in Mexico and Miami next month without knowing what to expect on arrival.
-
Tennis News
Battle of the Brits event is back and this time with spectators
The Battle of the Brits events were a huge success during the Covid-19 crisis and now they are set to return with spectators.
-
Tennis Features
The only way is up for Naomi Osaka as she looks to replicate hard-court success on clay and grass
Oli Jefford on the world being Naomi Osaka’s oyster.
-
Kevin Palmer
Britain’s strength in depth in doubles highlights quality of structure
British tennis may be wondering who can replace Andy Murray, but they have a very different story to tell in the doubles arena.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal pulls out of his next event due to ‘ongoing’ back problem
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the ABN…
-
Tennis News
Lleyton Hewitt to be inducted into International Tennis Hall Of Fame
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt is the latest player who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
-
Tennis Features
Five of the best men’s matches at the Australian Open featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Rafael Nadal, and more
The matches that made us sit up and take note.