STARNBERG, January 16, 2021
While most of the players are staying in Melbourne for a mandatory 14-day quarantine prior to play next month’s Australian Open, the first draw of the 2021 season on the ATP Challenger Tour was released on Saturday.
World No. 115 Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia will lead the singles field of the Istanbul Indoor Challenger, held on the hard courts of the TED Sports Club in Istanbul. The 24-year-old is seeking his third ATP Challenger career title following his triumphs at the 2018 San Benedetto Challenger and the Lima Challenger last year. Galan will open his campaign against a qualifier.
No. 2 seed is Brazilian young gun Thiago Seyboth Wild. The 20-year-old from Rio de Janeiro will play Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat in the first round. No. 3 seed Antoine Hoang of France will take on Emilio Gomez from Ecuador and fourth seed Facundo Bagnis of Argentina will face Zhizhen Zhang from China.
Italy’s #NextGen ATP star Lorenzo Musetti, who clinched his maiden Challenger title on home soil in Forli last year and fell in the opening round of the qualifying to the Australian Open in Doha to Dutch Botic van den Zandschulp earlier this month, will be the sixth seed of the €132,280 ATP Challenger 125 event. The 18-year-old will oppose Danilo Petrovic of Serbia. No. 5 seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India will play a qualifier.
First draw of 2021 is out!
Galan, Seyboth Wild, Hoang and Musetti lead the field in Istanbul 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/d6rSlqm8Pw
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) January 16, 2021
