BRATISLAVA, November 7, 2016

The top seeds of the Peugeot Slovak Open headlined Day 1 of the €85,000 ATP Challenger event, held inside the Aegon Arena in Bratislava.

In the opening match on Centre Court, Germany’s Florian Mayer, the best ranked of four Top 100 players in the main draw, lost to Uladzimir Ignatik 6-3, 6-7, 6-7. In the pair’s first meeting, both players fired 20 aces but it was the 26-year-old from Belarus being more solid in the deciding moments of the tie-breaks. Ignatik won six points less than the world No. 50 from Germany but prevailed after one hour and 44 minutes. Ignatik will next take on compatriot and defending champion Egor Gerasimov, who cruised past qualifier Patrik Fabian from Slovakia 6-3 ,6-3 in only 54 minutes.

Second favourite Illya Marchenko got the better of 19-year-old Slovakian qualifier Patrik Nema, who appeared in his very first main draw match on the ATP Challenger Tour. The world number 68 from the Ukraine was in control, didn’t face a break point, sending down 10 aces to secure a 6-2, 7-5 victory in one hour and 18 minutes.

Marchenko awaits the winner of the encounter between Jan Satral from the Czech Republic and Vasek Pospisil of Canada. The latter, who reached a career high ranking number 25 two years ago, will compete at his first Challenger event since losing to Benjamin Becker in the opening round in Irving in March 2014.

Sixth seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev ousted qualifier Filip Horansky of Slovakia, winning 6-3, 6-3 in 65 minutes to either play the tournament’s number seven and home favourite Lukas Lacko or Sergiy Stakhovsky from the Ukraine.