GUIA DE ISORA/STARNBERG, February 3, 2025
On Candelaria Day, tennis fans in Tenerife flocked to the Abama Tennis Academy to witness the long-awaited return of Pablo Carreno Busta. The former World No. 10 did not disappoint his home crowd, delivering a dominant performance to defeat Italy’s Federico Arnaboldi 6-0, 7-6(2) in the first round of the Tenerife Challenger. With this victory, the Spaniard made a strong start to his campaign at the ATP Challenger Tour 75 events organized by MEF Tennis Events.
Passing shot perfection from @pablocarreno91#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/oHAndJ7rxj
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 3, 2025
“The score might suggest an easy match, but even in the first set, I had to save break points and play some tough games. In the second set, I struggled more and had to save two set points, but my experience helped me in the tiebreak, and I’m happy with my performance,” Carreno Busta said.
Having competed at the Perugia Challenger last year during his comeback, Carreno Busta now feels 100 per cent fit and eager to regain lost ground in the rankings.
“Back in Perugia, it was only my second match after surgery, and I wasn’t at my best. But now, I feel like I can give my all. I’ve lost some ranking positions in the past two years and no longer have a protected ranking, so I need to climb back up. Winning here would be a great confidence boost. I’m also happy to be back in Tenerife, where I played an U18 tournament years ago.”
It was also a great day for Spanish tennis, as wild card Inaki Montes-De La Torre pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5, 6-3 on Court 3.
Making his return after six months, Ruusuvuori chose Tenerife as the stage for his comeback. Although the former World No. 38 couldn’t secure the win, he remained optimistic about his return:
“I still need time to regain my best level, but I’m happy to be back competing,” Ruusuvuori said.
For Montes-De La Torre, currently ranked Wold No. 554, this was the biggest win of his career:
“It was a special match. I tried to play my best tennis, knowing how strong my opponent is. I’ve been training in the Canary Islands with David Marrero, and I’m happy with the result because I’m improving match by match.”
Meanwhile, top seed Dominik Koepfer made a statement by overpowering Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2, 6-2 in a battle between former Top 50 players.
The final round of qualifying was also completed earlier in the day. Italy’s Giovanni Fonio secured a spot in the main draw with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Dimitar Kuzmanov, while his compatriot Samuel Vincent Ruggeri was forced to retire after losing the first set against Lukas Pokorny.
Monday Results
First Round – Singles
Dominik Koepfer (1) b. Bernabe Zapata Miralles (WC) 6-2 6-2
Inaki Montes-De La Torre (WC) b. Emil Ruusuvuori (2) 7-5 6-3
Pablo Carreno Busta (3) b. Federico Arnaboldi 6-0 7-6(2)
Qualifying – Final Round
Lukas Pokorny (12) b. Samuel Vincent Ruggeri (1) 7-5 rit.
Nicolas Alvarez Varona (7) b. Daniel Merida (2) 6-1 6-4
Pedro Cachin (3) b. Gastao Elias (8) 7-6(5) 6-2
Arthur Reymond b. Filip Misolic (4) 1-6 6-4 7-6(6)
Giovanni Fonio (10) b. Dimitar Kuzmanov (5) 6-3 7-5
Christoph Negritu (6) b. Luka Mikrut (9) 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-4
