The grueling clay court battles are well underway at the Madrid Masters, with Dutch No. 24 seed Tallon Griekspoor digging deep to overcome a stern test from Japanese veteran Taro Daniel in a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Friday evening at the Caja Magica.
Griekspoor, currently ranked a career-high No. 25, had to summon all his tenacity and shotmaking prowess to fend off the 85th-ranked Daniel, who had scored an impressive first round win over Aussie Aleksandar Vukic.
Miomir Kecmanovic battled past a tough opening test at the Bucharest Open on Tuesday, emerging with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over the experienced David Goffin to book his place in the second round.
The 23-year-old Serbian, currently ranked No. 60 in the world, had to dig deep against his Belgian opponent, a former top-10 player and Grand Slam semifinalist. Kecmanovic drew first blood by taking the opening set, but Goffin responded strongly to level the match at one set apiece.
Teenage tennis sensation Coco Gauff continues her march through the clay court season this week at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. The 19-year-old American prodigy is a heavy -2000 favorite over veteran Sachia Vickery in their round of 16 clash on Wednesday.
Gauff, currently ranked No. 3 in the world, is seeking her first title of 2024 after reaching the quarterfinals or better at four tournaments already this year, including the Miami Open.
As the clay court season heats up, all eyes are on former world no. 1 Naomi Osaka as she gears up for her first clay tournament in two years. The Japanese tennis star will be seen competing at the Open Calfinances Rouen Metropole next week, marking her much-anticipated return to the red dirt.
The Open Calfinances Rouen Metropole, a WTA 250 event held at the Kindarena Sports Complex in Rouen, France, has attracted a strong field of players this year.
