Roberto Bautista Agut, playing on home soil at the Mallorca Championships in Spain, delivered a stunning upset by defeating No. 2 seed Ugo Humbert of France 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday to secure a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
In a grueling match lasting 2 1/2 hours, Humbert showcased his firepower with 34 winners and 12 aces compared to Bautista Agut’s 18 winners and three aces. However, the Spaniard maintained greater consistency with five fewer unforced errors (19-14). The decisive break came at 2-2 in the final set when Bautista Agut capitalized on his opportunity to break Humbert’s serve for the third time, propelling him to victory.
Elsewhere at the Mallorca Championships, there were more upsets on the day. Unseeded Californian Alex Michelsen ousted third-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France 7-6 (5), 6-4, while unseeded Austrian Sebastian Ofner defeated No. 5 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy 6-3, 7-5. No. 6 seed Gael Monfils of France also progressed with a 6-3, 6-4 win over unseeded Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain.
Rothesay International Update
At the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, England, lucky loser Giles Hussey of Great Britain made a memorable tour-level debut by upsetting No. 6 seed Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-4, 6-2 in their first-round clash. Hussey, a late addition after Kei Nishikori’s withdrawal, dominated with an impressive 89 percent first-serve win rate (24 of 27) and outpaced Navone with 16 winners to 11, while committing fewer unforced errors.
First-round action also saw victories for Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland, Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil, Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, and Italians Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Sonego, rounding out a competitive day of tennis at Eastbourne.
