Qualifiers Advance, Main Draw Underway @NewYorkOpen
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic
New York Open Grandstand Court
Chris Eubanks won a tight first set against Ernesto Escobedo today before Escobedo took control of the match to qualify at the New York Open, an ATP 250 event at NYCB Live in Uniondale. A late first set time violation warning confused Escobedo long enough to drop the opener before coming back to win, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
“Maybe I did go over the time by a little bit,” he said. “It was a big point and he broke me. I didn’t focus in my service game (in the first). After the first set, I just told myself to keep on going, stay positive and keep on working hard.”
Ernesto Escobedo (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)
Escobedo agreed with me that his little bit of pro experience was the edge between EE and Eubanks today. “I believe so because late in the second set he looked super-tired, so that was a key sign to me,” he said. “And I just told myself to keep pushing and stay positive to win this match. But on the other side of things, (Eubanks) had a great serve, how many aces did he have, like 40?”
Eubanks had 24.
He loves the courts. They’re “super-slow”, Escobedo said.
Two out of four possible American qualifiers became a reality this afternoon and it was a good day for American tennis. Adrian Menendez-Maceiras was the first to qualify today with a straight sets victory over Liam Broady, 7-5, 6-3. He was the only one who had an easy ride. The other two qualifiers, Bjorn Fratangelo and Stefano Travaglia, needed three sets to advance.
The last time Travaglia stopped through New York, he qualified for his first U.S. Open. This time, he qualified for the New York Open and did it the sneaky way, holding off four match points to win a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) thriller. The hardest part was coming straight from Quito, Ecuador and their altitude to play an indoor event in New York, he said.
Tennis Atlantic 