DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Australia’s John Millman pulled off the first upset of the Delray Beach Open on Monday, needing nearly three hours and three tiebreakers to oust eighth-seeded Maxime Cressy of the U.S.
Millman prevailed 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3).
“Conditions are challenging,” Millman said. “Very windy, quite heavy balls and you’re playing against a guy like Maxime who throws a completely different game style than what you’re used to on tour. He’s relentless, massive serve — first and second — always looking to come forward whether it’s on his service games or his return games.”
Millman won 117 points to Cressy’s 115 in the 2-hour, 55-minute match.
“If you look at the stats, you can see that it really could have gone anyone’s way,” Millman said.
Cressy had made his first ATP Tour final last month, falling to Rafael Nadal in the title match at the Melbourne Summer Set — one of the prequels to the Australian Open. Cressy also made the round of 16 at the Australian Open, losing in four sets to eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev.
Other winners at Delray on Monday in round-of-32 matches were Brandon Nakashima, who topped fellow American Denis Kudla 6-1, 6-1; Oscar Otte of Germany, a 7-6 (8), 6-3 winner over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka; and Italy’s Andreas Seppi, who beat Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk 7-5, 6-4.
Play continues Tuesday with fifth-seeded Sebastian Korda, wild-card Jack Sock and unseeded Sam Querrey — all of the U.S. — among those in action.