Adrian Mannarino of France defeated Serbia's Miomir Kecmanović in the first round of China Open qualifying in Beijing 7-6(6) 3-6 7-6(5), according to api.tennis. Kecmanović was seeded third in qualifying. The ATP 500 tournament is played on hard courts with a prize fund of $4.1 million. Mannarino, ranked 81st in the world with 720 points according to rank.tennis, continues his fight for a spot in the main draw.
Two sets decided by tiebreaks
The first set went to a tiebreak, where Mannarino edged it 7-6(6). Kecmanović won the second set 6-3 to level the match. The deciding set also went to a tiebreak, where the Frenchman was sharper, closing it out 7-6(5). The final result was 2 sets to 1.
For Kecmanović, this defeat continued a difficult stretch. At the US Open, he lost in the first round to Denis Shapovalov 4-6 6-4 4-6 1-6, in Winston-Salem after beating Sho Shimabukuro 6-4 6-3 he fell to Fabian Marozsán 3-6 4-6, and in Cincinnati he lost in three sets to Flavio Cobolli 1-6 6-4 3-6. Mannarino, before arriving in Beijing, played in Rennes, where he beat Dan Added 6-2 6-4 and lost to Matteo Bobichon 3-6 5-7. At the US Open, the Frenchman came back from two sets down against Tiago Agustin Tirante, winning 4-6 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-3, before losing to Alexander Bublik 3-6 1-6 1-6.
The head-to-head record favors Mannarino. In all three previous meetings cited by api.tennis, the Frenchman came out on top: in Cologne in 2020 with a score of 6-3 6-3, in Miami in 2021 with a score of 6-3 6-4, and at the Australian Open that same year with a score of 6-1 6-2 6-4. The Beijing match proved considerably more competitive than those earlier encounters.