Tennis: Harris makes winning start at Chengdu qualifiers

Former Island player beats wildcard in straight sets

Isle of Man professional tennis competitor, Billy Harris has taken victory in the first qualifying round of this year's Chengdu Open in China.

The former Albany and Castletown player has beaten Chinese wildcard, Fumin Jiang in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) in the men's singles qualifying tournament today (16 September).

As a result, Harris will now face Japanese competitor, Taro Daniel in the second qualifying phase.

For Harris - currently ranked 131st in the ATP world rankings - it's been a positive month so far.

He claimed the first ATP Challenger title of his professional career by winning the Cassis Open Provence in France earlier this month before reaching the semi-finals of the Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open last week.