Ahead of the European Open in Antwerp, Kyle Edmund, Gael Monfils, Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took time out of their busy schedules to enjoy some urban tennis at Groenplaats Square.

Arriving by public bus, the four ATP World Tour stars posed for pictures and contested rallies in front of the public as excitement built in the city for the third edition of the tournament. Defending champion Tsonga and first-time visitor Monfils will be keen to make it three out of three for French players in Antwerp, with countryman Richard Gasquet lifting the trophy in 2016.

Tsonga is competing in just his second event since recovering from a knee injury, which forced the 33-year-old to miss seven months of the 2018 season. Monfils, who will meet Belgian wild card Ruben Bemelmans in the first round, was impressed by the local sights. “It was great to be able to hit a few balls on one of the most beautiful squares of Antwerp,” said Monfils.

Top seed Edmund will be looking to build on a strong Asian Swing as he chases his first tour-level trophy. The World No. 15 won six of eight matches in China, with semi-final and quarter-final runs in Beijing and Shanghai respectively. Former World No. 3 Raonic, like fellow debutant Monfils, was equally impressed by the city after his visit to the famous square. “It was an agreeable and sporty way to see the city,” said Raonic.

Swede wild card Elias Ymer picked up his second win at the Intrum Stockholm Open – and his fifth victory of 2018 – on Monday, beating German Maximilian Marterer 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. 

Ymer broke when Marterer tried to serve it out at 5-4 in the third. And on match point, with Marterer serving at 5-6, the German served and volleyed and hit a backhand volley into the open court. But Ymer ran it down, and on the dead run, clipped a forehand down the line for the win.

The 22-year-old Swede will next meet fourth seed and two-time finalist Jack Sock of the U.S. In the only other main-draw match of the day, American Denis Kudla beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2, 7-5. Kudla will next meet South Korea’s Hyeon Chung or countryman Taylor Fritz.

Watch: Ymer Visits Ethiopia

Frenchman Adrian Mannarino battled past Russian wild card Evgeny Karlovskiy 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) on Monday to set a second-round showdown with top seed Marco Cecchinato of Italy at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Mannarino withstood 15 aces and converted only one of his 12 break points against the 24-year-old Karlovskiy.

In other action, Czech qualifier Lukas Rosol beat Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and will next meet third-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. Slovenian Aljaz Bedene saved eight of 10 break points and beat Serbian Laslo Djere 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(2).

Vasek Pospisil set up a second-round showdown with fellow Canadian Milos Raonic at the European Open after a confident 6-3, 7-5 win over Argentine Leonardo Mayer Monday in Antwerp. Pospisil, 28, fired 10 aces and dropped just 10 points in 11 service games, winning an impressive 82 percent of points on his first and second serve.

Despite spotting his opponent 17 years in age, left-handed Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez had the measure of 20-year-old #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-4, 7-6(5) after hitting 18 aces. Lopez did not concede a break point chance. He converted just one of seven opportunities on Tiafoe’s serve en route to the second round, where he awaits the winner of German Jan-Lennard Struff and French lucky loser Constant Lestienne.

American Mackenzie McDonald, who took out Raonic in the Shanghai first round last week, defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 7-6(8). And in the only other main-draw match Monday, Jiri Vesely saved the lone break point he faced against #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar. The Czech next faces fourth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Did You Know?
Pospisil needs just two more match wins to reach 100 career victories.