MADRID, 28 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Fernando Verdasco achieved a soothing victory against the Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in two sets (7-6(1), 7-5) to overcome his debut in the tournament in Sofia (Bulgaria), in the ATP 250 category and on hard court , while Pablo Andújar also debuted with victory in the Tel Aviv tournament (Israel), in the ATP 250 category and on hard court, against the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
The man from Madrid added his first victory after falling in the round of 16 in Istanbul (Turkey) and in his debut in San Diego (United States). And the key to this important triumph was in the irregularity of the Georgian, number 37 in the world, something that a concentrated Verdasco took advantage of.
The Spaniard had to wait for his moment in a match that began with a more successful Basilashvili and taking the initiative, also on the scoreboard. After a few games where equality reigned, in the eighth the Georgian broke the Spaniard’s serve (3-5), a ‘break’ that Verdasco returned in the ninth. Thus the tiebreaker was reached, in which the man from Madrid was cooler to win the first set after a 7-1 in that ‘tie-break’.
Very touched in the mood, Basilashvili suffered a 3-0 loss in the second set, with a very toned Verdasco in the second set. However, that irregularity of the Georgian was transformed into a positive, and the comeback began to take place until he placed the 4-4 on the scoreboard based on talent. Verdasco did not lose serve again, and he did break his rival’s, in the twelfth game of the second set, to close the match in one hour and 39 minutes. Now, the Australian Aleksandar Vukic will be measured in the round of 16.
Andújar also debuted with victory, after enduring a tough and demanding first set against Monteiro. The Brazilian, number 62 in the world -better ranking than the Spaniard (115)-, made things difficult for the man from Cuenca, who wanted to take the initiative from the beginning, but Monteiro, more aggressive although somewhat erratic, made him uncomfortable. The Brazilian converted the first ‘break’ in the ninth game, with the option of closing that first set with his serve, but Andújar grew and got the best tennis out of him and in the end he made it 5-5.
Thus, the ‘tie-break’ was reached, with a consistent Andújar that did not give the Brazilian an option to win that first set. The second was placid for Cuenca. After the hour of play in the first set, the Spaniard was able to close the match with a second set 6-1 in half an hour. He is already waiting for Serbian Novak Djokovic in the next round of the Tel Aviv tournament.
SHOES, LOVE AND SMILES, REMOVED
Also in Sofia, Bernabé Zapata had no chance against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who added his sixth consecutive victory. The transalpine was a roller from the beginning and with an initial 3-0 he put on track a first set that closed with a 6-3. The second and final set ended 6-4, with the Spaniard planting something more in the face.
In the tournament in Seoul (South Korea), Jaume Munar, who put on a great match, fell 7-5, 6-4 to Canadian Denis Shapovalov. The Mallorcan responded quickly to a first service break in the seventh game of the first set, but after the second ‘break’, the world number 24 closed the first set with his serve. I am gave him more confidence in the final set that he won with a 6-4.
Finally, in the women’s tournament in Parma, Sara Sorribes resisted until the end but lost the battle of more than three hours of the round of 16 against the American Lauren Davis. With the two tennis players sharing the first two sets, the third and final set was a ‘marathon’, with a more accurate and fresh world number 99 in the decisive moments.