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SAO PAULO (AP) — Home-crowd favorite Thomaz Bellucci defeated eighth-seeded Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Brazil Open on Tuesday.
Bellucci broke Giraldo's serve to go up 4-2 in the final set, then held on to close out the match in just over two hours at the Ibirapuera arena. The break came right after Giraldo called for treatment on his lower back in between games.
The 108th-ranked Bellucci, playing on a wild card, had six aces, including three in the decisive set.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal is not playing at the clay-court tournament this year.
Top-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany, ranked 12th, will open against qualifier Potito Starace of Italy on Wednesday.
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