[ad_1]
The European clay-court season is now firmly underway on the ATP Challenger Tour. Final week noticed a Challenger 80 occasion contested in Marbella (previous the tour-level occasion on the similar venue) and a Challenger 50 in Oeiras. As at all times, there was some glorious tennis and a variety of thrilling matches. Here’s a recap of what you may need missed.
ATP Challenger Tour Weekly Recap
Marbella
The draw opened up shortly as the highest seeds, Roberto Carballes Baena and Norbert Gombos, each fell within the opening spherical. So did Leo Borg, son of the 11-time Grand Slam champion, who’s but to win a match in three Challenger Tour appearances. 2020 Rio Open runner-up, Gianluca Mager, received only one match in the entire Golden Swing this 12 months and did not impress as the highest seed at Zadar Challenger.
The Italian solely wanted a few victories to get on a roll although and carried out on the highest stage he has proven thus far this season. Mager did drop a set within the quarterfinals and the semifinals, going through powerful challenges from his countrymen Alessandro Gianessi and Roberto Marcora, however hung powerful to advance a winner in three on each events.
Jaume Munar got here to Marbella, having reached the ultimate at each Challenger Tour occasions he performed this 12 months. The Spaniard virtually accomplished a double in Antalya, winning against Lorenzo Musetti earlier than finishing runner-up to Carlos Taberner. These runs have been alleged to set him up for an incredible Golden Swing however Munar barely underperformed, reaching a quarterfinal at Buenos Aires however falling within the opening spherical of two different occasions.
The Spaniard’s clay-court expertise is simple although – he took eventual semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to 5 units ultimately 12 months’s Roland Garros – and again on the Challenger circuit in Europe, Munar as soon as once more seemed assured. His path by the draw wasn’t at all times comfy with Taro Daniel and Mario Vilella Martinez actually making him work for his wins, however the Spaniard managed to take care of his excellent document of reaching the finals on this 12 months’s ATP Challenger Tour.
Munar’s superb 13-1 document on the ATP Challenger Tour this 12 months seemed unthreatened within the opening set as his incredible defensive expertise allowed him to take it six video games to 2. However the Spaniard’s limitations have been clearly on show in the remainder of the match. In opposition to a red-lining opponent, who blasted forehand winners with ease, Munar simply couldn’t do a lot to implement his personal phrases. Mager regained management of the match and performed with excessive aggression behind his personal serve. The 26-year-old by no means seemed again and took the match 2-6 6-3 6-2.
A fourth ATP Challenger Tour title for Mager (Koblenz, Barletta, Biella 2019) sees him return to the highest 100 after falling out of that elite quantity at first of March. Each finalists will subsequent play the main-tour occasion in Marbella. Mager is ready to start out his marketing campaign in opposition to Mikhail Kukushkin, while Munar takes on a qualifier within the first spherical.
Oeiras
The second-highest ranked Portuguese ever, Gastao Elias, peaked at world #57 however hasn’t carried out at his prime stage shortly after a few horrible seasons. Regardless of going underneath the radar, Elias performed very strong tennis in summer time exhibitions in 2020 and was a bit unfortunate together with his attracts at Challenger stage. He added a pair extra ITF World Tennis Tour titles to his resume although and obtained a wildcard to the occasion in Oeiras.
Down 1-4 within the decider to Tseng Chun-Hsin within the first spherical, the Portuguese dug deep and proved he shouldn’t be written off simply but. Advancing to the finals with an incredible win over Evan Furness, Elias made his first Challenger Tour championship match since October 2017 at Campinas.
Standing in entrance of him can be Zdenek Kolar, who had been struggling to win matches on the circuit this 12 months (simply 4 victories in eight occasions earlier than this week). Similar to Elias, his hardest problem on the way in which to the ultimate got here within the opening spherical as he confronted Mississippi State alumni Nuno Borges. The faculty standout utterly dominated the primary set and held a match level on Kolar’s serve at 6-5 within the second. Borges’ return didn’t discover the courtroom although and the 24-year-old Czech was capable of shift the momentum in his favor. In his subsequent three matches, Kolar didn’t lose greater than three video games in a single set, reaching his second Challenger Tour last (Ostrava 2016).
With undeniably explosive vitality on the courtroom, Kolar was fast out of the blocks. The Czech is nice at taking the ball on the rise and bullied Elias together with his forehand within the opening exchanges. He didn’t enable the Portuguese to make the most of his belongings and stored pushing him behind. Elias had much more to say within the second set although, going up a break as soon as together with a possibility to serve for the match. Kolar was significantly better in the important thing moments on Sunday although, reeling off the following three video games to select up his first Challenger trophy.
The Czech is now solely about 50 factors away from the highest 200 of the ATP Rankings, a rating ceiling he’s but to interrupt by. He’ll subsequent journey to Cut up, the place he obtained a particular exempt to the primary draw and opens his marketing campaign in opposition to a qualifier. Elias, in the meantime, will keep in Oeiras, taking up this week’s quarterfinalist Marco Trungelliti in a blockbuster first-round draw.
Challenger Tour magic:
Finest photographs of March compilation:
They have been the 🔥🔥 moments of the month.
One of the best Sizzling Pictures from March, that includes @DreddyTennis, @JamesDuck21, @alcarazcarlos03, @ZizouBergs and lots of extra 👇 pic.twitter.com/aG1KOZS1XQ
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 3, 2021
Klizan hitting a apply wall mid-match, a bit too late for that to assist:
Even hitting the apply wall could not assist Klizan discover his rhythm in the present day. The primary two rounds have been fairly nice however as we all know by now, it would not take a lot for him to show off mentally.
0-6 3-6 to Gianessi in 57 minutes, received 9 pts within the opener
📷: https://t.co/rIQPjfrGkd pic.twitter.com/CLBjbBwFRW— Damian Kust (@LWOSdamiankust) April 2, 2021
Racket breaking might be an artwork:
Simply a kind of days on the workplace 😅@AndaluciaOpen pic.twitter.com/6zD0tO0bHZ
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 3, 2021
Occasions held subsequent week:
- Cut up Open (Challenger 80, clay)
- Open de Oeiras II (Challenger 50, clay)
There can be no prime 100 gamers in motion.
First-round matches to look at:
Cut up
- (1) Pedro Sousa vs (ALT) Kacper Zuk
- (PR) Thanasi Kokkinakis vs (8) Filip Horansky
- (WC) Duje Ajdukovic vs (PR) Dustin Brown
Oeiras
- (6) Marco Trungelliti vs (SE) Gastao Elias
- (WC) Nuno Borges vs (2) Enzo Couacaud
Essential photograph:
Embed from Getty Images
[ad_2]
Source link