Emilia-Romagna Open: Three top seeded players suffer shock Round 2 exit

The three highest-seeded tennis players were all eliminated from the Emilia-Romagna Open on Wednesday. In what can only be described as a shock, all three players got knocked out in the second round.

Home favorite and top-seed Lorenzo Sonego lost 6-1, 7-5 to 20-year-old American Sebastian Korda. It is worth noting that Korda is currently 63rd in the world rankings.

Second-seeded Benoit Paire retired after complaining of a sore throat while losing 7-5, 3-1 against the 80th-ranked Jaume Munar. Even before the retirement, it seemed unlikely Paire would end up on the winning side.

Norbert Gombos then won 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 against No. 3 Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Fourth-seeded Jan-Lennard Struff also struggled before beating wild-card entry Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2).

Korda will face eighth-seeded Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarterfinals after the Japanese player eased past Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-2.

The only Italian left in the draw in the Emilia-Romagna Open is Marco Cecchinato after he beat seventh-seeded Aljaz Bedene 7-5, 6-2. He next faces Gombos.

Sixth-seeded American Tommy Paul is also through to the final eight after rallying to beat Jiri Vesely 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-3.

But fifth-seeded Richard Gasquet outlasted qualifier Pedro Martinez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The main draw of the French Open gets underway from May 20 (Sunday) and will end on June 13.