Top seed Vacherot is out in Chengdu, beaten by qualifier Harris two weeks before he defends in Shanghai

Valentin Vacherot’s Chinese swing has started badly. The Monegasque, the top seed at the Chengdu Open, was beaten 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Saturday by South African qualifier Lloyd Harris, ranked No. 138, and goes out in his opening match of the tournament, with the Shanghai Masters 1000 title he won last year to defend in a fortnight.

Harris, who had come through against American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-4 to reach Vacherot, closed out the second set in a tiebreak and moves into the quarterfinals, where he meets the man who won the night’s longest match.

Hubert Hurkacz, the No. 5 seed, needed three sets and a slow start to get past American Martin Damm 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Pole, ranked No. 46, dropped the opening set before turning the match around, and the win doubles as payback: Damm beat him in Montpellier in February. Hurkacz had earlier seen off Kazakh Aleksandr Shevchenko 6-3, 7-6 (10), while Damm, ranked No. 104, had beaten Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 6-4 in the previous round.

The other half of the draw produced a quarterfinal nobody would have written down in advance. French qualifier Alexandre Muller, ranked No. 137, beat Italian lucky loser Federico Cina 7-6 (3), 6-1 on Saturday night, having dropped just four games against Moise Kouame in the previous round, 6-4, 6-0. Cina, ranked No. 168, had beaten Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-2 to get into the last 16.

Muller’s reward is Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the second seed, who is back on court after more than two months out and beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo in his opening match. The Spaniard has slipped to No. 29 in the rankings during that absence and is now the highest seed left in the tournament, with Vacherot gone.

Saturday’s Chengdu results

• Lloyd HARRIS (RSA, Q) bt Valentin VACHEROT (MON, 1) 6-4, 7-6 (5)
• Hubert HURKACZ (POL, 5) bt Martin DAMM (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Alexandre MULLER (FRA, Q) bt Federico CINA (ITA, LL) 7-6 (3), 6-1
• Alejandro DAVIDOVICH FOKINA (ESP, 2) bt Juan Manuel CERUNDOLO (ARG)