The opening day of competition at the ATP 250 Almaty Open delivered fierce battles for spots in the main draw. The local crowd found plenty of reason to celebrate courtesy of Aleksandr Shevchenko, while the other two Kazakh wildcards bowed out in their opening matches.
Shevchenko Prevails in Decider as Safiullin Survives Test
Kazakh crowd favorite Aleksandr Shevchenko booked his ticket to the qualifying final after a hard-fought battle against Estonia’s Daniil Glinka, winning 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5. Shevchenko cruised through the opening set behind an early break. Both players held serve firmly throughout the second set, but the Estonian remained steadier in the tiebreak to force a decider. The third set stayed locked in parity until 6-5, when Glinka served to stay in the contest; Shevchenko applied pressure to claim the decisive break and avoid a second tiebreak. He will battle Greek competitor Stefanos Sakellaridis for a main draw spot, following Sakellaridis’s commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Petr Bar Biryukov.
Top qualifying seed Roman Safiullin and Ilya Ivashka contested another riveting three-setter, with Safiullin coming through 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4. Safiullin dominated the first set and held a break advantage in the second. Ivashka fought back to level, pushed the set to a tiebreak, and claimed it to level the encounter. Safiullin’s composure proved decisive in the final set, where an early break sealed his victory. Up next for Safiullin is compatriot Ilia Simakin, who rallied from a set down to outlast France’s Luka Pavlovic in a gripping third-set tiebreak, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6).
Routine Wins for Favorites as Local Wildcards Fall
Elsewhere across the grounds, Kazakhstan’s young wildcard recipients could not pull off upsets. Amir Omarkhanov fell in straight sets to in-form Japanese talent Rei Sakamoto, 6-2, 6-1. Sakamoto will now take on fourth-seeded Canadian Gabriel Diallo, who edged Harold Mayot in a tight opening-set tiebreak before pulling away to win 7-6(5), 6-2.
Fellow local wildcard Beibit Zhukayev put up spirited resistance against second-seeded Adam Walton, but the Australian prevailed 6-1, 7-5. Walton faces experienced Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili next, after Basilashvili dismissed Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-2, 7-5.
Qualifying Round 1 Results
| Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksandr Shevchenko (KAZ) | Daniil Glinka (EST) | 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5 |
| Stefanos Sakellaridis (GRE) | Petr Bar Biryukov | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Ilia Simakin | Luka Pavlovic (FRA) | 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6) |
| Roman Safiullin | Ilya Ivashka | 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4 |
| Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) | Taro Daniel (JPN) | 6-2, 7-5 |
| Adam Walton (AUS) | Beibit Zhukayev (KAZ) | 6-1, 7-5 |
| Gabriel Diallo (CAN) | Harold Mayot (FRA) | 7-6(5), 6-2 |
| Rei Sakamoto (JPN) | Amir Omarkhanov (KAZ) | 6-2, 6-1 |
Qualifying Final Round Matchups
- Roman Safiullin vs. Ilia Simakin
- Adam Walton vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili
- Aleksandr Shevchenko vs. Stefanos Sakellaridis
- Gabriel Diallo vs. Rei Sakamoto
The complete qualifying and main draw brackets, tomorrow’s official order of play, and all the latest tournament updates can be found on our central ATP Almaty Open Hub Page.
