MARBELLA, March 24, 2018

The draw has been made for the inaugural Casino Admiral Trophy, held at the Puente Romano Beach Resort and Spa from 24 to 31 March 2018 at the facilities of the Puente Romano Tennis Club. The €43,000 ATP Challenger event kicks off the European clay court season.

Top seed Roberto Carballés Baena, ranked World No. 78, will open his title bid against fellow Spaniard and wild card entry Pedro Martínez Portero. The pair will meet for the first time. The tournament’s No. 2 is Laslo Djere from Serbia, who will start against former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.

Third favourite Marco Cecchinato will take on Austrian veteran Jürgen Melzer in a first round clash. The World No. 97 from Italy clinched one ATP Challenger title this season, lifting the trophy in Santiago de Chile. The 36-year-old from Vienna returns to the courts after an injury, competing in his first tournament since Wimbledon last year. Melzer, who reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 8 in April 2011, underwent an elbow surgery in October last year. It will be the first meeting between the two.

Local favourite and ambassador of the Casino Admiral Trophy, Adrian Menéndez-Maceiras, will be seeded fourth. He will open his home campaign against Martin Klizan, who prevailed at the first edition of the ATP Challenger in Indian Wells earlier this month.