Tennis: Escobdeo upsets Evans in Miami

Dunya News

Ernesto Escobedo pulled off a 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 victory over Dan Evans at Miami Open on Wednesday.

MIAMI (AFP) - Young American Ernesto Escobedo pulled off a surprise victory in three sets over Britain s Dan Evans in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old Mexican-American, who grew up playing on rough public courts in Los Angeles, is playing in his Masters 1000 series event having qualified with a straight sets win over Argentine Renzo Olivo on Tuesday.

Escobedo, ranked 108th, beat the 43rd ranked Evans 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 at Crandon Park thanks mainly to his strong first serve, which included ten aces.

"This day is very special for me. I qualified for my first Masters 1000 here in Miami and I played a tricky opponent who serves pretty well. It is pretty big to get my first win here," Escobedo told reporters.

"I started pretty slow but once I broke back I felt pretty comfortable and kept patient. In the second set I just didn t focus at all and my energy was very low but I am just happy to have stepped it up in the third set," he added.

Escobedo will now face 25th-seed Fernando Verdasco in the second round and he can expect plenty of support from a strongly Hispanic South Florida crowd.

For Evans it was another setback after he went out in the second round in Indian Wells.

"He played pretty well. I needed to get on top early in the third set and I think he would have gone away but I didn t," said Evans.

"I have been serving poorly for a little bit and I wasn t winning my points on my second serve," said the Englishman, who was given a penalty point for bad language and racket abuse and also had a verbal exchange with a fan at one stage.

Another American hopeful, Ryan Harrison, bowed out with a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Italy s 40th ranked Fabio Fognini while his compatriot Michael Mmoh was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by France s Nicolas Mahut.

Japan s Yoshihito Nishioka triumped in a two-hour battle with Australia s Jordan Thompson.

Nishioka, who reached the fourth round at Indian Wells last week, saved 11 of 14 break points to secure the 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

France s Benoit Paire beat Slovak Martin Klizan 7-6(4), 6-3 to earn a second-round challenge with 21st seed Pablo Cuevas.