SOME big names bit the dust at the Lexus Ilkley Trophy last night.
For example, defending champion Zizou Bergs and top seed Nuno Borges are both out in the $125,000 ATP Challenger as the tournament tried to get back on track after another rain-hit day.
The unseeded Bergs fell to the first Ilkley ATP Challenger champion, 2015 winner Denis Kudla defeating the Belgian 6-2, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Borges lost an indoor contest 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Argentinian Thiago Agustin Tirante as tournament director Rik Smith battled to keep the tournament afloat.
Among those to survive three-setters were third seed Sebastian Ofner, by 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 against Finland’s Otto Virtanen; and fourth seed Jason Kubler (Australia) 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 against Switzerland’s Alexander Ritschard.
Belgium’s four-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist David Goffin reached the last 16 by a retirement when he was leading Switzerland’s Dominic Stephan Stricker 7-5, 1-3.
After the British success of the first three days, however, there was Ilkley heartbreak for wild cards Harry Wendelken and Yuriko Lily Miyazaki.
Wendelken was beaten in the men’s first round 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 by lucky loser Sho Shimabukoro (Japan), while Miyazaki was defeated in the first round of the $100,000 ITF Women’s World Tour 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 by fifth seed Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov (Spain).
Some of the men’s first round and women’s qualifying, as well as the women’s doubles, were moved to the club’s five indoor courts due to the weather.
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