Dutchman Robin Haase upset German fourth seed Alexander Zverev 5-7 6-5 7-5 at the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday and Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round before rain interrupted play.
Haase, who last week kicked off his North American hardcourt swing by reaching the Toronto quarter-finals, converted six of seven break point opportunities to get by world number three Zverev in a match lasting two hours and 25 minutes.
World number 55 Haase improved to a 2-2 career record against Zverev, including victories in their last two meetings. Haase will face Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round after the Spanish 13th seed beat Bradley Klahn 6-4 6-4.
Zverev’s older brother Mischa fell to defending Cincinnati champion Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(5) 7-5 in a match delayed by rain. Djokovic, who needs the Cincinnati title to complete his collection of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies, rallied to defeat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 4-6 6-2 6-1.
The 10th-seeded Serb, who has reached the final five times, suffered stomach problems during the match and was tended to by a doctor during the second set. Djokovic returned to wrap up the second set and raced into a 5-0 lead in the decider before serving out the match. Djokovic will next face fifth seed Dimitrov.
Former champion Marin Cilic of Croatia, competing in Cincinnati for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2016, beat Romanian qualifier Marius Copil 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4. Sixth seed Kevin Anderson overcame Jeremy Chardy 7-6(6) 6-2 while Swiss wildcard Stan Wawrinka knocked out Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-4. Fourth seed Juan Martin Del Potro had his match against South Korean Chung Hyeon postponed due to rain.
In the women’s, Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko stunned defending Cincinnati Masters champion Garbine Muguruza as the world’s top players faced difficulty during a rain-shortened second round. Tsurenko took down the seventh-seeded Spaniard 2-6 6-4 6-4 in the early match, which was a preview of the challenges faced by top seeds during the day. Next up for Tsurenko is a clash with Ekaterina Makarova after the Russian topped Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6-2 6-0.
World number one Simona Halep fell down a set but rallied against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, and was leading 4-6 6-3 4-3 when her match was suspended due to rain. Second seed and Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki lasted just one set against Kiki Bertens before retiring due to a left knee injury. The match was delayed by rain for over three hours and Wozniacki retired shortly after Bertens captured the opening set in 62 minutes.
Fourth seed Angelique Kerber also had a difficult outing, having to battle back to outlast Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-6 7-5 6-4. US Open champion Sloane Stephens enjoyed a routine 6-3 6-2 win over German Tatjana Maria. Stephens will next face Elise Mertens after the 15th-seeded Belgian earned a 3-6 6-2 7-6(1) win over Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson.
Also advancing to the third round was Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who upset Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova 2-6 6-3 7-5, and Australian Ashleigh Barty, a 7-5 6-3 winner over Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi.
American Amanda Anisimova had a 5-4 lead on Croatia’s Petra Martic in a match that was also halted because of rain.


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