Lucky loser after Holger Rune's withdrawal, Corentin Moutet beats Alexandre Müller and advances to the third round in Washington

Tennis magician Corentin Moutet, eliminated in the final round of qualifying for the ATP 500 in Washington, has finally qualified for the third round having lost only one game. The 26-year-old Frenchman, currently ranked 59th in the world, initially had the chance to be the lucky loser after Holger Rune withdrew on Tuesday, qualifying directly for the second round as the number 3 seed.

On Tuesday, Moutet faced his compatriot Alexandre Müller for a spot in the third round. The affair was settled in less than an hour by an untouchable Moutet (6-0, 6-1), notably on his opponent's serve. Müller did not win a single serve in the match, converting one of the two break points he obtained in the second set, when the match already seemed almost decided at 6-0, 4-0.

Moutet offered himself no fewer than 10 break points (6 converted), tormenting his opponent on second serves where he won 15 of the 19 points played. Müller also suffered a significant waste of time with 27 unforced errors in what was the first match between the two men on the main circuit.

In the third round, Moutet, who is playing in the Washington tournament for the second time (elimination in the first round in 2023), will face Daniel Evans for a place in the quarterfinals. The Briton, who benefited from a wild card (world number 144), defeated American Alex Michelsen in the second round (6-4, 6-4) but has never managed to win against the Frenchman in two meetings (played in 2020 and 2021).