Rome, December 30 (LaPresse) – Lorenzo Sonego has advanced to the second round of the ATP 250 'Bank of China Tennis Open,' held on the hard courts of Hong Kong, with a prize pool of $766,290. The Italian defeated American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, and will face the winner of the match between Britain's Cameron Norrie (ranked 49) and American Learner Tien (ranked 122), the latter coming off a loss in the final at the 2024 Next-Gen Finals in Jeddah.
Luciano Darderi (ranked 44), however, was eliminated. In the first tournament of the new season, he was defeated 6-3, 6-3 in just 68 minutes by Miomir Kecmanovic (ranked 54). Darderi held his own until the pivotal seventh game of the first set when he was broken. He attempted to fight back in the first game of the second set, earning a break point but failing to convert. In the fourth game, after saving two break points at 1-1, he was broken again and never recovered. Despite 9 aces and only one double fault, Darderi ended with a 66% first serve success rate and a modest 63% realization.
Francesco Passaro qualified for the main draw by defeating Kazakhstan's Denis Yevseyev (ranked 246), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, in a match against an opponent he had never faced before.
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