Coup of Andújar in Marrakech, with three Spaniards in eighths

In 2018 he was champion and in 2019 he was one step away from repeating victory. Pablo Andújar has a special idyll with the ATP 250 in Marrakech, which will host its final next Sunday (April 10), and he has shown it again. Together with Carlos Taberner and Roberto Carballés, he is already in the round of 16 of the tournament, where Bernabé Zapata may also arrive, who will face the Czech Vit Kopriva. In the case of Cuenca (73rd), advancing through the front door: 1h39 to get rid of Daniel Evans, 26th in the world and second seeded in the tournament. Also, with authority: 6-4 and 6-2 causing 17 possible breaks. An unsustainable situation despite 71% of breaks saved by the American. Air that contrasts with the sweat of Carballés, who will face the Portuguese Joao Sousa (90th) after dismounting the Italian Marco Cecchinato (97th) for a suffered 7-5 and 7-6 (1). Be that as it may, the chances of national success are accumulating.

Taberner and Ramos separate; Feliciano, out in Houston

They could have crossed in the second round, but Lorenzo Musetti has avoided it. mixed luck for Taberner and Albert Ramos. The Valencian tennis player, 96th in the world, advances without excessive demands; the Catalan, 33rd, however, is already eliminated by the Italian. Two very different faces. Taberner, despite a great first set (6-2) against the German Yannick Hanfmann, breaking his first two services, he did not have to finish the next one. In the second game of said round, Hanfmann (113th) approached him and shook his hand after feeling physical discomfort. Ramos, meanwhile, was deflated in the second set against Mussetti (7-6(5) and 6-1), 82nd in the ranking and Taberner’s next rival.

At times, the Spanish duel seemed possible, since the first set between Ramos and Musseti needed a tie-break to decide. Furthermore, the precedents were favourable. Spanish and Italian met last season in Indian Wells with a comfortable national victory (6-1 and 6-3). Nothing to do with the second assault between the two. Brave to the rest, Lorenzo arrived with the lesson learned and, after winning the tiebreaker, with the necessary security to trust his plan. 51% of points won in return after first serves, 59% after seconds and 5 of 9 balls of break converts explain the result and, above all, a second set with a 75% success rate in breaks. Unappealable.

Ramos, on the negative side, joins Alejandro Davidovich (45th), halfway through the comeback against Federico Coria (7-5, 3-6 and 6-4). After losing the first set, very close, he recovered strongly in the second to end up losing in the third, marked by the security in the services of the Argentine racket (84% of points with first and 70% with seconds). More than 8,000 kilometers away, in Houston (also ATP 250), Feliciano López (118th) did not advance either. 6-4 and 6-2 for Gijs Brouwer (361st), executioner of the only Spanish representative in the tournament. Everything to the Grand Prix Hassan II.