THE main draws of grass court tournaments in Halle and London commenced overnight, with players ramping up their preparations for the all-important Wimbledon Championships beginning on June 28. While two of the top seeds banked victories, three other big names were victims of surprising upsets.

Roger Federer made a successful return to grass at the Noventi Open, taking care of qualifier Ilya Ivashka 7-6 7-5. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been vocal about his desire to win in London, and he even withdrew from Roland Garros following his third round victory to assist his preparation. Federer did not lose on serve in this match and said that he enjoyed his first outing on grass since 2019.

“I missed it. I’ve done the hard courts, I’ve done the clay and now [I am] on the grass,” Federer said. “It’s been great being back here in Halle, I love playing here.”

“[I] had a tough moment early on in the first set when he had break points, so that was crucial to get out of those. “And then I played a really good tie-break, which I was happy about. “Overall I think I served very well. “Clearly, I can always be a little bit better, but I’m very happy and excited that I was able to get through the first one.”

Things did not go as smoothly for Roland Garros quarter finalist Roberto Bautista Agut, who bowed out in straight sets against American youngster Sebastian Korda 6-3 7-6. Korda had never previously competed in a tour-level match on grass, so it was important that he played with aggression and confidence against his higher-ranked opponent.

“I think the grass really suits my game,” Korda said. “I’m a big hitter, I try to come into net and be aggressive. In the biggest moments I saved a lot of break points, stayed super calm and I never really backed off. “I kept moving forward, kept going to net and kept doing my thing.”

Seventh seed David Goffin was forced to withdraw from Halle during his clash against Corentin Moutet after slipping and landing awkwardly on his ankle in the opening game of the second set. Although he toughed out the set and had a chance to serve for the match, he could not close it out and was unable to continue after Moutet levelled the match at 1-6 7-5.

At Cinch, Russian world number 24 Aslan Karatsev made his long-awaited tour-level grass court debut and overcame a slow start to get past Chilean lucky loser Alejandro Tabilo 3-6 6-4 6-2. Karatsev did not earn a break point in the opening set but became more comfortable on the surface as the match progressed.

“[It’s] completely different than the other surfaces,” Karatsev said. “It was the first match, a tough opponent, lefty. I got used to it and in the end I found the way to manage it. “The second set was a bit tricky. “I broke him, and then in the third set he started really slowly. “I got used to his serve and I returned everything that I could. “It was easier for me [from there].”

Karatsev will face local 25-year-old Cameron Norrie next, who defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 4-6 6-3 6-4.

British wildcard Jack Draper produced the biggest upset of the day, overcoming third seed Jannik Sinner 7-6 7-6. The world number 309 struck 11 aces and came back from 0-4 down in the opening set to earn the most impressive victory of his young career. After the match, Sinner admitted that Draper was the better player in this contest.

“He understood my game,” Sinner said. “It was a little bit of a rollercoaster and he played the important points better than me. “Today, I was not serving well and I think he deserved to win. “He has more experience than me on the grass and I wish him good luck.”

NOVENTI OPEN ROUND OF 32 RESULTS:

(5) Roger Federer (SUI) defeated (Q) Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 7-6 7-5
Sebastian Korda (USA) defeated (6) Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 6-3 7-6
Corentin Moutet (FRA) defeated (7) David Goffin (BEL) 1-6 7-5 0-0 (retired)
(Q) Marcos Giron (USA) defeated Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7-6 7-6
Jordan Thompson (AUS) defeated (WC) Daniel Altmaier (GER) 6-2 7-6

CINCH CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND OF 32 RESULTS:

(WC) Jack Draper (GBR) defeated (3) Jannik Sinner (ITA) 7-6 7-6
(5) Aslan Karatsev (RUS) defeated Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) 3-6 6-4 6-2
(Q) Victor Troicki (SRB) defeated (7) Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 6-4 6-4
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) defeated (Q) Illya Marchenko (UKR) 6-1 7-6
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) defeated (WC) Liam Broady (GBR) 6-4 6-4
John Millman (AUS) defeated Reilly Opelka (USA) 7-6 5-7 7-6
Cameron Norrie (GBR) defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 4-6 6-3 6-4

Picture credit: ATP Tour