Former College stars Quinn, Spizzirri win in Newport

One year ago, American Ethan Quinn earned his first tour-level victory at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. On Tuesday, he scored his second ATP Tour win at the same event with a 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-1 result against Aussie Marc Polmans.

The win lifted Quinn five places to 10th place in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah. With another victory against fourth seed Christopher Eubanks, the former NCAA singles champion would move into the top eight, further boosting his chances to to qualify for the NextGen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Quinn was a constant threat on return in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Polmans, converting on seven of 14 break chances, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

"Just make sure to put the pressure on him," the 20-year-old said of the key to the third set. "Second set he was serving very well. I just wanted to to make sure I put in a lot of returns, a lot of first balls on my own serve and put a lot of pressure."

Another former college standout, Eliot Spizzirri, also advanced to the second round Tuesday with a 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Australian qualifier Li Tu. The former University of Texas star, who saved four of five break points, next faces another Australian, World No. 65 Aleksandar Vukic.

Brandon Nakashima continued his recent run of form with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Emilio Nava after dropping just five points on his first serve in 10 service games.

The San Diego native improved to 12-10 on the year, just one victory shy of his 2023 match-wins tally of 13. Currently No. 53 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Nakashima is eyeing a return to the Top 50 this week. Should he win the title he could move beyond his career-high mark of No. 43.

Seventh seed Arthur Rinderknech also advanced on the Newport lawns with a 6-3, 7-6(5) win against Shintaro Mochizuki, while American Mackenzie McDonald was a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 winner against Rinky Hijikata.

McDonald upset the eighth-seeded Aussie to claim his second tour-level win of 2024. He recorded a personal-best 33 wins in 2023 but has missed several months of this season with a shoulder injury. The 29-year-old's win against the World No. 74 is his best win by PIF ATP Ranking since he beat countryman J.J. Wolf at the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.

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