MASPALOMAS, November 27, 2023
Maspalomas, a beautiful resort town on the southern coast of Gran Canaria in Spain, boasts not only stunning beaches and vibrant nightlife but also a burgeoning tennis scene that attracts enthusiasts from around the world.
This week the stars of the ATP Challenger Tour have gathered on the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands to compete in the second edition of the EÓ Hotels Maspalomas Challenger. The €73,000 clay-court event is being held at the Conde Jackson Tennis Maspalomas in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
Hola, 🇮🇨 Maspalomas! 👋 🌞#ATPChallenger #TravelTheTour #GranCanaria @GranCanariaCab @GranCanariaTur pic.twitter.com/3fHJesB9Zs
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) November 27, 2023
Main draw action kicked off on a sunny Monday in perfect weather conditions with temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. Austrian Filip Misolic headlined Center Court action defeating Henri Squire of Germany 6-3, 6-4. The No. 3 seed withstood six aces and broke his rival’s serve three times to advance in one hour and 14 minutes.
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“It was a very tough match against Henri. He played very well. I had a bumpy start into the match, but then I found my rhythm. I knew I had to play aggressively without making too many errors. I managed to do that well, and that made the difference today,” Misolic told Tennis TourTalk afterwards.
The 22-year-old Graz native has come to Gran Canaria for the second time. “I played the Gran Canaria Challenger in Telde last year. It’s very nice here. I was looking forward to a great tournament. Sometimes the wind makes playing tennis a bit challenging. But overall, the island is fantastic.”
Up next for Misolic will be Gerard Campana Lee of South Korea, who outlasted Italian veteran Lorenzo Giustino 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 after two hours and 33 minutes.
Another Austrian-German duel had a different outcome, as Timo Stodder eased past Lukas Neumayer 6-3, 6-3. The 27-year-old from Berlin capitalized on four of his nine break-point chances to seal victory in one hour and 21 minutes.
“It’s nice to be back in Gran Canaria,” said Stodder afterwards. “I played here last year. The weather is great again and I wanted to defend my Ranking points from my first-round win in 2022. I lost in the second round but I definitely want to do better this year.”
The World No. 328 will next play the winner of the all-Spanish encounter between No. 7 seed Daniel Rincon and Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo.
Qualifiers round out 32-man draw
Earlier in the day, six qualifiers completed the main draw. Swiss teenager Killian Feldbausch beat Dan Alexandru Tomesco of Romania 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 16 minutes.
“I needed be aggressive and I stayed focused until the end,” Feldbausch told Tennis TourTalk. The 18-year-old Geneva native, a former World No. 5 in the Juniors Rankings, recently captured his maiden title on the Pro Circuit, lifting the trophy of the ITF World Tennis Tour M15 event in Boca Raton, Florida.
“I played a few Challengers before and I was in a good rhythm. I am very happy to have won the title there.”
Vilius Gaubas defeated Romanian veteran Alexandru Jecan 6-3, 6-3. The 18-year-old from Lithuania stated after the match: “The level of intensity made the difference today. I succeeded to keep my intensity, my footwork, my shots the whole match and also stayed aggressive.”
In other action, Javier Barranco Cosano emerged victorious from the all-Spanish affair with Jorge Martinez Martinez, winning 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 23 minutes. Jonas Forejtek from the Czech Republic battled past Ukrainian Eric Vanshelboim 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 57 minutes. Svyatoslav Gulin from Russia edged out Alvaro Lopez San Martin 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 36 minutes and Ivan Lopez Morillo benefited from the retirement of fellow Spaniard Alex Marti Pujolras after the first set.
