Defending champion Marco Cecchinato failed to defend his Argentina Open title in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, falling in the first round to Spaniard Roberto Caraballes Baena.
The 26-year old Spaniard required just an hour and 39 minutes to defeat Cecchinato 6-4 7-6(3), saving five break points in the process. Caraballes Baena faces Casper Ruud in the next round, as the Norwegian
easily dispatched of Pablo Andujar in his opening round match.
Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez defeated Portugal's Joao Domingues 7-6(0) 7-5 to set up a meeting with third-seeded Dusan Lajovic of Serbia.
Portuguese lucky loser Pedro Sousa fared better than his countryman, battling past Argentine wild card Facundo Diaz Acosta 4-6 6-2 6-3 in an hour and 50 minutes. Sousa faces Slovak qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who saved seven break points to beat France's Corentin Moutet 6-3 7-6(4).
Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero overcame another Slovak qualifier Filip Horansky 6-4 4-6 6-2 to the delight of the Buenos Aires crowd. The Argentine faces sixth-seeded Laslo Djere, who defeated Argentine wild card Francisco Cerundolo 6-2 2-6 6-4. This will be a
rematch of last week's Cordoba Open quarterfinal, an encounter that saw Djere emerge victorious.
Another Argentine was in action, as qualifier Facundo Bagnis defeated Slovakia's Andrej Martin 6-4 6-1 to set up a meeting with compatriot and second seed Guido Pella.
Seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas needed two hours and 15 minutes to defeat home favorite Leonardo Mayer 4-6 6-3 7-5. In a match that saw Mayer hit nine aces with six double faults, the Argentine was unable to utilize the energy provided by his home crowd to secure a victory.
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