Quentin Halys advances as Arthur Rinderknech withdraws

Quentin Halys reached the second round of the Beijing ATP 500, while Arthur Rinderknech withdrew before beginning his campaign because of an abdominal injury. The contrasting outcomes leave Halys with another opportunity to build momentum and Rinderknech facing uncertainty over his next tournament.

Ranked 50th in the world, Halys defeated 35th-ranked Ignacio Buse 6-1, 7-6 in one hour and 25 minutes. He struck nine aces and dropped serve only once. After controlling the opening set with two breaks, he moved 4-2 ahead in the second before Buse levelled at 4-4. Halys then took the deciding tie-break 7-3.

The victory ended a run of defeats that included a five-set loss in the second round of the US Open, a defeat by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Davis Cup and an opening-round exit to Roman Safiullin in Hangzhou. Halys will next face world number 10 Alex de Minaur, who beat Mariano Navone 7-6, 6-2. Having lost in qualifying in Beijing last year, Halys is guaranteed a rise of two ranking places.

Rinderknech, currently 33rd, will surrender the 63 points earned from reaching last year’s last 16 in Beijing, although he is not yet due to lose a ranking position. The 31-year-old’s injury also puts his participation in next week’s Shanghai Masters 1000 in question. He reached the Shanghai final last year, his best tournament result, and could fall towards 65th in the rankings if he does not play.