Lopez knocked out by qualifier in Chennai Open
Chennai (India) (AFP) - Spanish second seed Feliciano Lopez crashed out of the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open on Thursday in a stunning second-round loss to qualifier Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia.
The world number 14 looked rusty in his first match of the season as he tamely went down 6-4, 6-4 to the 156th-ranked Bedene in an hour and 25 minutes at the Nungambakkam tennis stadium.
Two other Spaniards, third seed Roberto Bautista-Agut and number five Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, advanced to the quarter-finals.
The 15th-ranked Bautista-Agut proved too strong for number 102 Peter Gojowczyk of Germany, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win in an hour and 10 minutes.
Bautista-Agut, a finalist in Chennai in 2013, struggled with his first serve and double-faulted four times, but six aces and strong volleys from the baseline helped him dominate the German.
The 31-year-old Garcia-Lopez fought back after losing the first set to oust Tatsuma Ito of Japan 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-0 in two hours on an outside court.
"My game picked up as the match went on, so I am happy the way it went in the end," said Garcia-Lopez, who finished 36th last year.
"At my age, I probably have to work harder than others."
In Friday's quarter-finals, Garcia-Lopez will take on Bedene.
Taiwanese veteran Yen Hsun-Lu rode past Pablo Carreno-Busta of Spain 6-4, 6-4 in 73 minutes to set up a quarter-final clash against Bautista-Agut.
The tournament, which also features world number four and defending Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, will earn the winner on Sunday $73,400 and 250 ranking points.
