Swede Surprises Defending Champ Monfils In Stockholm

© Karolina Brunstrom/If Stockholm OpenStockholm native Patrik Rosenholm celebrates an impressive tour-level debut.

Swedish wild card Patrik Rosenholm caused a huge upset on his tour-level debut, knocking out defending champion Gael Monfils 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Tuesday in the first round of the If Stockholm Open. The Stockholm native lost just three points on serve in the decisive set while securing the only break of serve.

The 24-year-old Rosenholm, currently No. 436 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, had played primarily on the Futures circuit this season and was making his first appearance since reaching the quarter-finals at the Tampere Challenger in July.

Monfils had won this ATP World Tour 250 tournament on his first visit last year (d. Nieminen). He dropped to a 19-10 season record.

Fifth seed Feliciano Lopez hit 26 aces in a 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-2 victory over France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Spaniard broke serve four times and won 76 per cent of points behind his first serve for victory in two hours and 43 minutes.

The 31-year-old Lopez improved to a 26-24 match record on the season, highlighted by three semi-final showings in Houston (l. to Isner), Munich (l. to Kohlschreiber) and Beijing (l. to Tsonga). The left-hander is making his fifth appearance in Stockholm, reaching the quarter-finals in 2006.

Lopez goes onto face World No. 92 Sergiy Stakhovsky, who enjoyed a successful debut in Stockholm as he dismissed Belgian qualifier Yannick Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in 66 minutes. The 26-year-old Stakhovsky improved to a 15-27 match record on the season.

Seventh seed Marcos Baghdatis recovered from a break down in the first set to beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-4, 6-2 in 73 minutes. The Cypriot, a former World No. 8, fired nine aces and converted all four of his break point chances to claim his 33rd win of the season. The 27-year-old Baghdatis won the Stockholm title in 2009 with victory over Olivier Rochus.

In his first appearance since his tournament debut 10 years ago, former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt prevailed against South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 27 minutes. Anderson had an opportunity to draw level as the 102nd-ranked Australian served for the match at 5-4, but was unable to convert his break point chances.

Japan’s Go Soeda set a second-round clash with top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after beating French qualifier Maxime Teixeira 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 55 minutes. (Watch Tsonga Interview)

Second seed Tomas Berdych will open his If Stockholm Open campaign against Estonian Jurgen Zopp. The No. 87-ranked Zopp converted three of his 14 break points to beat Spain’s Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-4 in 88 minutes.

Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis came from a set down to beat Spaniard Albert Ramos 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 41 minutes. The No. 95-ranked Berankis goes onto face fourth-seeded German Florian Mayer.

Colombian Alejandro Falla claimed his 13th win of the season as he overcame Czech Jan Hajek 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7) in two hours and 32 minutes. The 28 year old was a quarter-finalist at the Heineken Open (l. to Ferrer) in Auckland and the Malaysian Open Kuala Lumpur (l. to Benneteau) earlier in the year.  

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