Andrey Rublev boosts ATP Finals hopes after winning his Swiss Indoors debut match
The top seed is eighth in the race for the ATP Finals, trying to stay ahead of ninth-placed Alex de Minaur, who is playing in Vienna.
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Top-seeded Andrey Rublev won on his Swiss Indoors debut on Monday and bolstered his hopes of qualifying for a fifth consecutive ATP Finals next month.
No. 7-ranked Rublev accounted for Nuno Borges of Portugal 6-3, 6-2.
He is eighth in the race for the top-eight Finals, trying to stay ahead of ninth-placed Alex de Minaur, who is playing in Vienna.
Fifth-seeded Ugo Humbert fired 13 aces while battling past Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Humbert's second-round opponent will be lucky loser David Goffin, who had his own struggles to put down Matteo Arnaldi of Italy 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2.
Seventh-seeded Arthur Fils also had trouble with German qualifier Daniel Altmaier, winning 7-6 (5), 6-3 only after saving two set points in the first set and coming from a break down in the second.