SALINAS/STARNBERG, July 27, 2023
Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh has reached the quarterfinals of the Challenger de Salinas Copa Banco Guayaquil after defeating former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic of Australia6-2, 6-2, in just 56 minutes.
Shelbayh, 19 years old and currently ranked 249th in the ATP rankings, trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca and considers Rafa Nadal his idol, describing him as a role model.
#ChallengerdeSalinas Copa @BancoGuayaquil
El jordano Abdullah Shelbayh eliminó hoy al ex 17 del mundo #BernardTomic y clasificó a 4tos de final.
Tiene 19 años #249 ATP y entrena en la @rnadalacademy
Jueves enfrenta al turco Altug Celikbilek.
Sede @salinasgolfteni pic.twitter.com/ynvVv0zeAl— Challenger de Salinas (@SalinasOpenEc) July 26, 2023
“He’s a really good guy, humble, and always works very hard. It’s a motivation for me to be in front of him, and this is an opportunity that many kids would like to have,” Shelbayh said.
Home favourites fall
Ecuadorians Emilio Gómez and Andres Andrade couldn’t replicate their performances from yesterday and fell in the second round.
Gmez had a good start in the match against Australian Omar Jasika, taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. However, he couldn’t contain the reaction of the Melbourne-born player, who leveled the game and eventually closed it 7-5.
The match was characterized by long rallies from the baseline, in which Jasika was very solid, breaking Gomez’s serve in the ninth game to close with an ace and secure his spot in the quarterfinals with a final score of 7-5, 6-4.
#ChallengerdeSalinas Copa @BancoGuayaquil 2da ronda
Highlights
Omar Jasika AUS a Emilio Gómez ECU
🎥 @SalinasOpenEc /Steven Mejía pic.twitter.com/WP7nyDVwjL— Challenger de Salinas (@SalinasOpenEc) July 27, 2023
Meanwhile, Andrade also had an advantage in the first set, serving for the set at 5-4. Unfortunately for him, he lacked precision in a couple of shots and Japanese Rio Noguchi recovered the break and then dominated the tie-break.
From that point on, Noguchi’s consistency prevailed, as many of the games in the second set were long and hard-fought, but the Asian player found a way to come out on top. The final score was 7-5, 6-1.
Singles – Second Round
Omar Jasika AUS def. Emilio Gómez ECU 7-5, 6-4
Rio Noguchi JPN def. Andrés Andrade ECU 7-6(3), 6-1
Giovanni Mpetshi FRA def. Alex Bolt AUS 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(9)
Abdullah Shelbayh JOR def. Bernard Tomic AUS 6-2, 6-2
Beibit Zhukayev KAZ def. Philip Sekulic AUS 7-6(3), 6-3
Illya Marchenko UKR def. Evgeny Donskoy RUS 7-5, 7-5
Altug Celikbilek TUR def. Kaichi Uchida JPN 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
Matija Pecotic CRO def. Dane Sweeny AUS 7-6(8), 6-1
