VIENNA – Daniel Brands of Germany beat Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-4, 7-6 (5) despite the Austrian serving 16 aces in the first round of the Erste Bank Open on Tuesday.
The 57th-ranked Brands managed one break in the opening set against the 2010 finalist and held serve throughout to set up a second-round match against top-seeded former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Also, Michael Russell of the United States failed to convert any of his 13 break points in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to qualifier Mirza Basic of Bosnia-Herzegovina; Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium had 10 aces in the win against Jan Hajek of Czech Republic 6-2, 6-0; and Robin Haase of the Netherlands, who earned both his career titles in Austria, rallied past Ilija Bozoljac of Serbia 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.