#NextGenATP Van Assche makes winning start in Madrid

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

What initially appeared a comfortable afternoon under the Spanish sun soon became a three-set battle for Luca Van Assche on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman finished his first-round clash with Zizou Bergs superbly at the ATP Masters 1000 event, however, where he closed out a 6-4, 6-7(0), 6-1 triumph to book a meeting with 18th seed Sebastian Baez. Van Assche at one point led 6-4, 4-1, but he was forced to fend off the charging Bergs by raising his level in a decider.

The 19-year-old Van Assche saved 10 of 11 break points he faced against Bergs, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He closed out victory in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in two hours and 54 minutes.

“It was a good match. Not my best one, but a good match from the beginning to the end against a very good player,” said Van Assche, who climbs four places to No. 95 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. “He was serving very well and it’s difficult to control the ball here, so I stayed patient all match with the opportunities I had.

“Of course in the second set I had a break and then a lot of things happened, but I stayed focused in the third set and was very happy to break at the beginning and continue in that way.”

Van Assche’s countrymen Gael Monfils and Arthur Rinderknech were unable to join him in the second round. Luciano Darderi downed the two-time Madrid quarter-finalist Monfils 6-4, 6-2 to taste victory on his debut at the Caja Magica. The World No. 60, who lifted his first ATP Tour trophy in Cordoba earlier this year, will next play 12th seed Taylor Fritz.

Alexander Shevchenko overcame Rinderknech 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to set a second-round meeting with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Kazakhstan’s Shevchenko, who reached the third round as a qualifier in Madrid in 2023, has never played World No. 3 Alcaraz.

Jaume Munar, Mariano Navone and Taro Daniel were also early winners in Madrid on Wednesday. Home favourite Munar beat Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-4, Navone downed Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 6-2 and Daniel beat Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-1.

Thiago Seyboth Wild defeated Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, while Daniel Altmaier denied #NextGenATP Spaniard Martin Landaluce his second ATP Tour win. The 25-year-old Altmaier, who reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Madrid last year, beat Landaluce 6-1, 7-5 inside Manolo Santana Stadium.