Lucky Loser Norbert Gombos First Man to Reach Round of 16 @CitiOpen, Wasn’t Even in Main Draw This Morning
Steve Fogleman in Washington
Norbert Gombos got a good night’s sleep last night. That was a good thing.
“I was here and practicing, and I’d already booked my flight ticket back home for tomorrow,” he said after his upset win against Adrian Mannarino of France at the Citi Open in Washington. “I just woke up and was already set up for a practice with Tsonga, and I signed up for lucky loser.”
He was defeated by American Tim Smyczek in qualifying on Sunday. After he signed up for lucky loser status this morning, he was shortly thereafter informed that Kevin Anderson might be withdrawing (right knee pain), which gave him less than three hours to get ready for his match.
It was, in fact, like winning the lottery. “I’m just happy to play again here, against the top players in the world,” he told me. And the 28-year-old Slovakian will face another surprise in Miomir Kecmanovic, who upset Pierre Hugues Herbert in three sets this afternoon. One of these guys will become a Citi Open quarterfinalist.
In WTA play, American Jesse Pegula was down a set and a break but managed to claw her way back to victory over Iga Sweitak of Poland.
Tennis Atlantic 