Pospisil loses to Beck in Chennai Open
Posted January 3, 2012 4:20 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHENNAI, India — Canadian Vasek Pospisil dropped a 6-3, 7-6 (8) decision to Germany’s Andreas Beck in the first round of the Chennai Open on Tuesday.
Beck, the world No. 98, is 21 positions higher than the Vernon, B.C., native in the latest ATP Tour rankings.
Fourth-seeded Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., received a first-round bye. The world No. 31 will next play Victor Hanescu of Romania, who defeated American Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-4.
Belgian wild card David Goffin knocked out compatriot and last year’s runner-up Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The 124th-ranked Goffin rallied from a set down to beat the 2007 champion in one hour and 53 minutes.
Malisse broke his opponent in the fifth game to clinch the opening set before Goffin, who lost in the second round last year, rallied to break in the sixth and eighth games of the second set.
Malisse was hampered by a stomach problem in the final set.
“He was tired,” Goffin said. “He is never easy to play, even if he is sick he can hit the ball very hard.”
Eighth-seeded Olivier Rochus of Belgium also bowed out in the first round, dropping a 6-3, 6-4 decision to qualifier Yuichi Sugita of Japan.
In other matches, Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu defeated Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-3 while lucky loser Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France beat compatriot Eric Prodon 6-4, 6-3.
Roger-Vasselin will meet defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the second round.
