Millman Outlasts Popyrin In Munich Marathon
In the opening match of the BMW Open main draw, John Millman needed almost three hours to get past countryman Alexei Popyrin 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5 on Centre Court.
In a match where both men faced a combined 31 break points, Millman was able to secure two service breaks in the decider to reach the second round. The 31-year-old, who is chasing his first ATP Tour quarter-final of 2021 this week, owns a 4-0 record in first-round matches on clay this year.
Millman remains unbeaten in his ATP Head2Head series against the Singapore champion (3-0). The World No. 40 also beat Popyrin on home soil in Sydney and at the Stockholm Open in 2018.
Millman will meet Guido Pella in his next match. The Argentine held a 6-0, 2-0 lead in his first-round encounter against Egor Gerasimov, when the Belrarusian was forced to retire. Millman and Pella are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Ilya Ivashka raced through to the second round on Court 1. The Belarusian qualifier, who pushed eventual champion Rafael Nadal to three sets in Barcelona last week, broke Emil Ruusuvuori’s serve on five occasions to record a 6-1, 6-2 win in 67 minutes.
Ricardas Berankis claimed a marathon 22-point tie-break en route to a 7-6(10), 6-3 win against German wild card Maximilian Marterer. The Lithuanian will meet two-time champion and top seed Alexander Zverev in his next match.
Federico Coria also advanced with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. The Argentine will meet lucky loser Norbert Gombos in the second round.