Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and Englishman Dan Evans prevail to advance to the Adelaide International second round
Jeremy Chardy had to overcome a sharp jump in temperature, as well as a compatriot who knew his game inside-out. But the Frenchman, along with Englishman Dan Evans, are into the Adelaide International second round. Our day two men’s wrap.
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He had to overcome a sharp jump in temperature, as well as a countryman who knew his game inside-out.
But Frenchman Jeremy Chardy has powered into the second round of the Adelaide International, as he plots an assault on next week’s Australian Open.
Chardy downed compatriot Gilles Simon in straight sets at Memorial Drive on Monday, to set up a meeting with fourth seed Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
The commanding 6-3, 7-5 victory, played out in 32C heat, came just 48 hours after the world No. 54 had left Doha’s winter and the mid-teen temperatures of the Qatar Open.
“I’m really happy with the way I played today,” Chardy, 32, said.
“I changed well the rhythm of the game so this was a key, especially against a player like Gilles.
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“He (Simon) knows exactly how I’m playing and it’s the same for me.
“We know exactly the tactic we are going to play, so it’s more a mind game.
“But it was not easy physically, because ... I just came from Doha so I still have the jet-lag and Doha was pretty cold.
“Some moments in the match I felt not so good ... with the heat.
“My legs felt a little a bit shaky.
“But it’s good preparation, because for every player your goal is still Melbourne (the Australian Open).
“You want to arrive at your top (condition) in Melbourne.”
Chardy sent down 11 aces in an impressive serving to display to see off Simon, a squad mate during France’s 2017 Davis Cup trumph.
The former world No. 25 broke Simon in the seventh and ninth games of the first set, twice coming to the net to convert break points on Show Court One.
Both players dropped serve in the second, before Chardy again broke Simon in the eighth game of the set on his way to victory.
Chardy paid compliment to the revamped North Adelaide complex, which underwent a $20 million redevelopment prior to the inaugural event.
But he did not recognise it from playing there five years ago in the World Tennis Challenge exhibition tournament.
“I thought it was a different venue,” said Chardy, who made the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2013.
“The centre court was not like this at all.
“But everything is new and it’s good for tennis.
“Everything is nice ... and the players really appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, Englishman Dan Evans carried on his strong form from the ATP Cup in a straight sets win against Juan Ignacio Londero.
The world No. 42 downed the Argentinian 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court, converting four of nine break point opportunities, on his way to victory.
Evans, who saw off Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur in a thriller in Sydney last week, will face Alexander Bublik, of Kazakhstan, in the next round.
“I played pretty solid,” said Evans, who lost to world No. 55 Bublik in the pair’s previous meeting at the Davis Cup in November.
“To win the big points, obviously a lot of matches hinge on that, so that was a pretty pleasing thing today.
“He (Bublik) is very unorthodox and hits big serves.
“But leading in to Melbourne, it would be great to get some matches here and get used to the heat.”
In other men’s action, big-serving American Sam Querrey bounced back from dropping the first set to Frenchman Gregoire Barrere to secure a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (5) success.
South African qualifier Lloyd Harris pulled off an upset 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4 triumph over sixth seed Chilean Cristian Garin.
World No. 44 Querrey will meet third seed Andrey Rublev in the second round, while Harris (99) takes on Serbian Laslo Djere (39).
SA’s Alex Bolt and fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin lost 6-4, 6-3 to Maximo Gonzalez and Fabrice Martin in the doubles.
Colombia’s world No.1 pairing Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah withdrew from the tournament on Monday due to an illness to Cabal.