The Valencian Pedro Martínez, ranked 102nd in the ATP rankings and usually without repercussion on the circuit, surpassed the Frenchman Gilles Simon (6-0 and 6-4), who became sixth in the world and accumulated fourteen titles in his history, to reach the second round of the Parma tournament. The 24-year-old tennis player from Alzira took 74 minutes to overcome the French player, who tried to make up in the second set the bad image offered in the first.
Martínez, coming from the preliminary phase and who has his best performance so far this year in the round of 16 of the Estoril tournament, He will face in the second round the also French Richard Gasquet, fifth seed, who eliminated German Daniel Altmier by a double 6-3.
Munar takes down Ymer
The Spanish Jaume Munar ended the resistance of the Swede Mikael Ymer, 6-3 and 7-6 (5), and advanced to the second round of the Parma tournament, where the second favorite of the competition, the French Benoit Paire, will be measured. The Balearic player, who successfully put the game on track to sign up for the first set, had to use himself thoroughly afterwards, given the improvement of the Scandinavian, 103 in the ATP ranking.
Munar, finalist this year in Marbella, needed two hours and seventeen minutes to maintain his expectations in Parma. The Spaniard will play in the second round with Paire. The session was completed with the victory of the Slovenian Ajaz Bedene, the seventh seed, against the Italian Salvatore Caruso, 6-4, 7-6 (8). His next rival will be another local player, Marco Cecchinato who beat his compatriot Raúl Brancaccio 6-3 and 7-6 (5).
In addition, the American Sebastian Korda became the first rival of the main favorite, the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, after beating the transalpine Andreas Seppi by 6-3 and 6-4. Slovak Norbert Gombos met Spanish Albert Ramos, third favorite and exempt from the first round, after beating Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 7-6 (4), 5-7 and 6-3.
The also local Lorenzo Musetti won the Italians' duel against Gianluca Mager (4-6, 6-1 and 6-2) and will play against the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka, eighth seed, who beat American Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). And the Czech Jiri Vesely eliminated the American Steve Johnson by 7-6 (7) and 6-2, and will play in the second section against the North American Tommy Paul, sixth seed.