NorCal's Novikov falls in French Open qualifying

Dennis Novikov, awaiting serve in the U.S. Open last
September, lost to Marco Trungelliti of Argentina today
in the second round of French Open qualifying.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   For the second straight year, Dennis Novikov lost to an Argentine in French Open qualifying.
   Such is life on clay, but at least Novikov succumbed one round later this time.
   The 32nd-seeded Novikov, from Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost to Marco Trungelliti 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 today in the second round at Roland Garros.
   Novikov is ranked No. 146, and Trungelliti is No. 167.
    "Tough loss today," tweeted Novikov, who fell to Facundo Arguello in three sets in the first round last year in the American's French Open debut. "Thought I played well just couldn't fully close in the end. Next week Vicenza."
   Novikov, 6-foot-4 (1.93 meters) and 200 pounds (91 kilograms), had defeated the 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) Trungelliti 6-1 7-6 (7) in the second round of qualifying at Miami in March in their only other meeting. That, however, was on a hardcourt.
   Novikov, 22, was seeking his second berth in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. As a wild card in 2012, he stunned then-No. 86 Jerzy Janowicz of Poland in the first round of the U.S. Open before losing to Julien Benneteau of France. Janowicz, 6-foot-8 (2.03 meters), reached the Wimbledon semifinals the following year.
   Former Stanford star Kristie Ahn, who made her French Open debut on Tuesday, is scheduled to play sixth-seeded Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic on Thursday in the second round of qualifying.

NorCal's Novikov earns firsts in French Open qualifying

Dennis Novikov, playing in the Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger
last September, beat fellow American Noah Rubin in the first
round of French Open qualifying. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Dennis Novikov achieved two firsts on Monday.

   The 22-year-old resident of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area earned his maiden French Open victory, albeit in qualifying, and beat countryman Noah Rubin for the first time in three matches.

   Novikov, seeded No. 32, defeated the 20-year-old Rubin 6-3, 6-4 in Paris in a matchup of contrasting players.
   Novikov looks like a linebacker at 6-foot-4 (1.93 meters) and 200 pounds (91 kilograms). Rubin, a product of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, looks like a jockey at 5-foot-10 (1.78 meters) and 155 pounds (70 kilograms).
   Novikov had lost in the first round of three straight Challengers on clay coming into Roland Garros, where he fell in the first round of qualifying last year in his tournament debut.
   Rubin, the 2014 Wimbledon junior champion, toppled then-No. 18 Benoit Paire of France in the first round of the Australian Open in January as a wild card before losing to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
   Novikov, ranked No. 146, will face Marco Trungelliti, another 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) player who gained the second round of the Australian Open this year (as a qualifier), on Wednesday. But Trungelliti, 26, grew up on clay in Argentina and is heavier than Rubin at 172 pounds (78 kilograms).
   Trungelliti -- ranked No. 167, one spot above Rubin -- beat Matthias Bachinger of Germany 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-3.
   Novikov defeated Trungelliti 6-1, 7-6 (7) in the second round of qualifying at Miami, a hardcourt tournament, in March in their only previous meeting.
   Women's qualifying at Roland Garros begins today. Kristie Ahn, a 23-year-old former Stanford star, will face Luksika Kumkhum of Thailand. Kumkhum stunned Petra Kvitova in the first round of the 2014 Australian Open.