Mahut, Herbert, Seppi Win In Qualifying

Former World No. 18 Andreas Seppi delighted Italians who crossed the border on Saturday as he moved into second round of qualifying at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters with a 6-4, 7-5 win over 19-year-old Australian Alex de Minaur in one hour and 55 minutes. Seppi will need to beat Spain’s Marcel Granollers, a 6-2, 6-3 victor over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, if he is to compete in the main draw of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the 12th time.

Another Spaniard, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the 2014 quarter-finalist, eased his way past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-3 in 88 minutes and will next face another Italian, Marco Cecchinato, who knocked out Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4 in 80 minutes.

Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky got the better of 2011 quarter-finalist Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-1, 6-3, while Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas beat wild card Florent Diep of France 6-3, 6-2.

Three French players also progressed to the qualifying round at the Monte-Carlo Country Club — Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Jeremy Chardy and Nicolas Mahut. Chardy, who defeated Monegasque Romain Arneodo 6-3, 6-2, will need to beat Mahut if he is to secure his ninth participation in the main draw. Mahut completed each set with a smash winner in his 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Federico Delbonis of Argentina in 87 minutes.

In the final qualifying match completed on Saturday, Germany’s Florian Mayer denied former World No. 5 and 2006 quarter-finalist Tommy Robredo 6-2, 7-5 in 84 minutes. Mayer goes on to meet Illya Ivashka, who beat Roberto Carballes Baena 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 20 minutes.