Upsets in Marrakech

The first round has been completed in Morocco, with upsets already, but last years finalists surviving their initial tests.

Grand Prix Hassan II - an ATP 250 category tournament, on Red Clay, in Marrakech, Morocco , 8-14 April 2019.

Defending champion:

Pablo Andújar who defeated Kyle Edmund (2) 6-2 6-2 

First round results 

- Jiri Vesely defeated wildcard Fabio Fognini (2) 7-6(2) 6-4

Vesely only entered the tournament as a replacement when Hubert Hurkacz withdrew, and recorded his second straight win over the Italian, having defeated him at Wimbledon last year in the third round (before falling to finalist Nadal in the round of sixteen).

Since then, and before this event, Vesely had performed poorly on he ATP Tour, with just 3 wins and 8 losses outside a couple of Davis Cup successes.  He did play a few Challenger events, where he picked up valuable ranking points. So the repeat upset of Fognini has given the left handed Czech player confidence that he can return to the top 100 and maybe his career high of 35 is achievable. He is only 25.

- Wildcard Alexander Zverev (1) defeated Denis Istomin 6-4 6-4

- Jaume Munar defeated qualifier Facundo Bagnis 6-1 7-6(3)

- Benoit Paire defeated Aljaz Bedene 3-6 6-4 7-5

- Pierre-Hugues Herbert (8) defeated Thomas Fabbiano 6-7(3) 6-4 6-1

- Robin Haase defeated Malek Jaziri 6-3 6-4

- Qualifier Lorenzo Sonego defeated another seed, Laslo Djere (5) 6-3 6-3

- Qualifier Adrian Menéndez-Maceiras defeated fellow Spaniard and heavily favoured Fernando Verdasco (6) 5-7 6-2 6-2. 

33 year old Menéndez-Maceiras turned pro in 2005, and has basically spent his career playing Futures and Challenger tournaments, winning 13 titles spread over those tours.  He had won five matches on the ATP Tour, two against top 100 opponents, those just last year in New York against Jérémy Chardy and Steve Johnson.  However, Fernando Verdasco, ranked 38, now rates as his highest credentialed victim over a long career.

- Philipp Kohlschreiber (7) defeated qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(4) 7-5.

- Pablo Andújar defeated Federico Delbonis 7-6(6) 6-3

- Juan Ignacio Londero defeated lucky loser Carlos Berlocq 6-2 6-4