Kazakhstan's 59th-ranked tennis player, Alexander Shevchenko, has had a successful start at the clay court tournament in Madrid, Spain.
In the first round match, Shevchenko defeated the 77th-ranked French player Arthur Rinderknech with a score of 6:4, 5:7, 6:3.
The match lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes. Shevchenko served three aces, made one double fault, and converted two out of three break points. Arthur hit five aces, had no double faults, and converted one out of seven break points.
Shevchenko's next opponent in Madrid will be the current champion of the tournament, the third-ranked player in the world, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz.
The prize money for the tournament amounts to 7,877,020 euros.
The draw for the men's singles of the Madrid Masters determined the opponents for the two Kazakh tennis players - both named Alexander - Shevchenko and Bublik.
