Hugo Grenier advances as Felix Balshaw loses ATP debut

Hugo Grenier moved into the second round of Winston-Salem after entering the ATP 250 as a lucky loser, while Felix Balshaw’s first appearance in an ATP main draw ended immediately. Grenier, ranked 255th and left out of US Open qualifying, now has a meeting with 10th seed Sebastian Baez. Balshaw will return to Europe for Challenger events in Manacor and Cassis.

Grenier defeated Russia’s Roman Safiullin, the world No. 98, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 in a contest lasting two hours and 20 minutes. He delivered 14 aces and recovered after dropping serve at 2-2 in the deciding set, winning the last four games. The result gives the 30-year-old a place in the tournament’s last 32 despite arriving through qualifying.

Balshaw, 20 and ranked 257th, lost 6-4, 7-6 to American Aleksandar Kovacevic, who is 89th in the rankings. The Leeds-born player, raised in France after moving to Biarritz at three, could not create a break point and surrendered the only break chance of the opening set at 1-1. Kovacevic secured the second set in a tiebreak to end Balshaw’s first ATP experience after 78 minutes. Balshaw had reached several Challenger and ITF finals in recent months before qualifying for Winston-Salem.