COMO, August 31, 2015
The city of Como is caught between different cultures, situated on the southern trip of the western arm of the homonymous lake, one of the most renowned and largest in Italy.
The city owes much of its fame to the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, who used it as setting for most parts of “The Betrothed” (his most famous work) at the beginning of the 19th century. Como’s enchanting landscape also attracts tourists from all over the world and its globally renowned textile centre, specialised in the manufacture of silk is appreciated worldwide for its elegance and originality.
Centre Court ATP Challenger Como
The Città di Como Challenger with a total prize money of € 42,500 has always been played at the Tennis Como, a club founded in 1930 within the 18th century Villa Olmo located right next to the lake. It has five clay courts, the clubhouse with a coffee place and a restaurant, a games room and weightlifting room. The Central has prefabricated grandstands with a capacity of about 1,000 seats.
Last week’s finalists of the Manerbio Challenger continue their tour in Como and are the tournament’s top-seeds. Daniel Muῆoz de la Nava – who finished runner-up last Sunday and has cracked the top 100 for the first time in his career – is seeded first, taking on Daniel Brands in the opening round. The 33-year-old Spaniard and the German will meet for the fifth time on the tour with Brands leading 3-1 in head to head records. The last match between the two took place in Doha 2013 with the 28-year-old German winning in three sets.
Manerbio’s champion Andrey Kuznetsov is the second seed facing Hans Podlipnik-Castillo for the second time. The 24-year-old Russian, who is currently ranked on 90th position, emerged victorious from the last meeting with the Chilean, winning in straight at an ITF Future event in the Czech Republic in 2009.
The tournament’s number three Carlos Berlocq started his campaign on Monday, winning 6-3, 7-6 against Federico Gaio. The 32-year-old Argentine won 77% of his first service points and capitalized on two of his eight break points to seal victory in one hour and 49 minutes. Fourth seed Kenny de Schepper will clash with Italian Gianluca Naso.
