Hong Kong Open tennis: title holder Alexandre Muller hoping for another year like the last
If he wins title again, Frenchman will become first man to defend it since Michael Chang did so in 1994 and 1995
Defending champion Alexandre Muller said after his first win of the new year at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open that he hoped to start this season in Hong Kong as well as he did last year.
On Tuesday, the Frenchman beat Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the men’s singles on day three of the tournament.
“It’s always good to start the season with a good match like this, a good victory,” the 28-year-old said after the match, praising the contest and expressing his satisfaction.
In the first set, Muller was broken back almost every time he took the lead, and in the second set, an early advantage was erased when Kecmanovic levelled at 4-4. At 5-4, Muller was pushed to deuce three times before closing out the match.
After the win, Muller credited his consistency to staying focused.
“I just try to be focused on my game. It’s part of tennis to have the break and to lose it; if one gets a break all the time, the set would be finished too easily.”