MANERBIO, August 22, 2017

Three #NextGenATP players advanced to the second round of the €43,000 Internazionali di Manerbio Trofeo “Dimmidisi” on a sunny and hot Tuesday in Manerbio.

Carlos Taberner edged past Italian wild card entry Julian Ocleppo 7-6, 6-3. The 20-year-old from Spain won 78 per cent of his first service points and broke serve twice to advance after one hour and 34 minutes.

“It was not easy for me today, as I was sidelined from the courts last week due to leg problems,” Taberner explained and was pleased with his performance. “I played well and was solid with my serve and returns. I played a lot of tournaments in the last couple of weeks, so I had one week of rest and now I am feeling okay again.”

Conditions here in Italy seem to suit the Spaniard’s game. “It’s very hot, pretty similar to Spain. The surface is fast and the ball bounces very high. I like it here. I have a typical Spanish game style, hitting the forehand with a lot of spin and trying to attack.

“I still need to become better with my serves and my returns, and of course there is room for improvement with my volleys. I am working on it.”

Asked about his role models in tennis, the World No. 282 undertandably mentioned the Spanish players. “Of course I like Nadal but for me David Ferrer is my idol. He works really hard on and off the court. He is an unbelievable player and fighter.”

After claiming three ITF Futures titles last year, Taberner has made the step up to establish himself at Challenger level in 2017. The Valencia resident advanced to the semi-finals in San Benedetto last month.

“I didn’t play that well in my first Challenger tournaments. I started to play in the qualifying, eventually qualified for the main draw and now I started to win matches in the main draw. So I am very happy at the moment and I hope that I can keep it going like this. I just want to win as many matches as possible at Challenger level.”

Next up for Taberner, who is a big fan of UD Levante, will be the tournament’s number four Arthur de Greef from Belgium, who ousted Italian qualifier Federico Gaio 6-3, 6-4.

Quinzi Flying The Italian Flag

Gianluigi Quinzi

Local favourite Gianluigi Quinzi delighted the home crowd with 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback win on centre court over Spaniard Bernabé Zapata-Miralles.

The 21-year-old leftie from Citadella outpointed his opponent 94-81 to prevail after one hour and 45 minutes.

“I came back from injury and needed some matches to get back to my rhythm,” Quinzi told Tennis TourTalk. “I arrived here with not that much of confidence but today I fought for every point.”

Quinzi will next take on third seed Roberto Carballés-Baena of Spain, who fought past Miljan Zekic from Serbia 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 34 minutes.

Elias Ymer, champion of the ATP Challenger in Cordenons last week, emerged victorious from the all-NextGen-battle with Kamil Majchrzak 6-3, 6-4. The 21-year-old from Sweden sent down five aces and won 56 per cent of the total points played to set a second round meeting Meerbusch Challenger titlist Ricardo Ojeda Lara. The eighth seed from Spain benefited from the retirement of Alexandre Muller of France leading 6-2.

Top Seeds Advance 

The tournament’s number one Guillermo Garcia-López opened his title bid with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Austrian lucky loser Lenny Hampel. The World No. 136 from Spain won 78 per cent of his first serves to celebrate victory after one hour and 29 minutes. Garcia-López will be challenged by in-form-Serbian Danilo Petrovic next.

Oscar Otte

Second favourite Adam Pavlasek punched the first ticket for the second round with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over qualifier Maximilian Neuchrist from Austria. The 22-year-old from the Czech Republic finished the encounter after one hour and 46 minutes. Pavlasek will next play compatriot Marek Jaloviec.

Elsewhere, fifth seed Oscar Otte eased past Sadio Doumbia of France 6-2, 6-4. The 24-year-old from Germany didn’t face a break point, converting three of his own to secure victory in 71 minutes.

“It was a good match today. Conditions suit my game very well. First round is always a bit difficult, so I am happy to be through,” Otte told and will next play Steven Diez of Canada.