ATP Tour

Mannarino sets Rublev showdown in Almaty, Kukushkin wins in final event

Adrian Mannarino kept his cool to improve his already-impressive record on Kazakhstani soil Monday at the Almaty Open.

The No. 78 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Mannarino held off Aleksandar Vukic 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 to set a second-round meeting with fourth seed Andrey Rublev at the indoor ATP 250 tournament. It was a record-extending 12th victory for Mannarino at the event.

“I felt like I was playing a pretty good level,” Mannarino said. “Especially after the first set I was really consistent on my serve. I made a lot of first serves, and then I had four break points in four different games in the second set and I was able to make them. But I still felt like I was playing well and I ended up losing the second set.

“I was just thinking about staying focused. I knew I would have some chances in the third set and this is what happened... It’s a good victory.”

The first 10 of Mannarino’s victories in Kazakhstan came in Astana, where the event was held from 2020 to 2023. The Frenchman reached the final in 2020 (l. to Millman) and claimed the trophy in 2023, when he defeated Sebastian Korda in the championship match.

James Duckworth, Facundo Diaz Acosta and Nikoloz Basilashvili were also first-round winners on Monday in Almaty. Duckworth overcame Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-3 to advance to face second seed Luciano Darderi, while Diaz Acosta downed his fellow Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4. He will take on Basiliashvili for a quarter-final spot, after the Georgian qualifier sank former World No. 3 Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-5.

The first night-session match of the week in Almaty featured Mikhail Kukushkin, who is competing in the final event of his pro career. The home favourite did not disappoint the local fans, notching a 7-6(4), 7-6(3) triumph against Stefanos Sakellaridis.

A former Top-40 star who won his only ATP Tour title in St. Petersburg in 2010, the 38-year-old Kukushkin will aim to delay his retirement further when he meets seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Aleksandar Kovacevic in the second round.