MARBELLA, March 26, 2018

The main draw of the inaugural €43,000 Casino Admiral Trophy, held on clay courts at the Puente Romano Beach Resort and Spa in Marbella, got underway on Monday.

Former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis headlined first round action with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over the tournament’s No. 2 Laslo Djere of Serbia. The 29-year-old from Latvia broke serve six times and won two points more than his opponent to seal victory in two hours and 56 minutes. Gulbis will next take on either Czech qualifier Lukas Rosol or Guido Andreozzi of Argentina.

No. 7 seed Stefano Travaglia fought past #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-7, 6-2, 7-5. The 26-year-old from Italy fired 14 aces, winning 77 per cent of his first service points to prevail after two hours and 42 minutes.

Next up for Travaglia will be another Spanish player, as Enrique López-Pérez defeated Dustin Brown from Germany 6-4, 6-2. The encounter lasted one hour and seven minutes.