Hernandez gets first-round upset in Casablanca
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oscar Hernandez of Spain earned his first victory since September by upsetting fifth-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the first round of the Grand Prix Hassan II.
Hernandez converted his only two break chances Monday to end a 12-match losing streak on the ATP World Tour, including all eight this year in straight sets. Mathieu, the 2007 champion, squandered four of his five break opportunities.
The Frenchman received a wild card after coming back from an offseason groin injury that prevented him from starting the season until last month. He lost to Hernandez for first time in four matches.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hernandez will play Potito Starace of Italy, who also turned a corner by ending a run of seven opening-round defeats by beating Peter Luczak of Australia 6-3, 7-5.
Starace landed 88 percent of his first serves and converted four of seven break chances to get his first win on the main tour since January.
Starace took a 4-0 lead before dropping serve at 5-2. But the 73rd-ranked Italian immediately broke back to take the opening set.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the second set, both players held serve until the 12th game, when Luczak could not force a tiebreaker and Starace converted his third match point.
Starace improved to 3-1 against the 75th-ranked Australian.