GRAN CANARIA, February 3, 2021
World No. 94 Attila Balazs of Hungary leads the entry list of the inaugural Gran Canaria Challenger to be held on 21 to 28 February at the El Cortijo Club de Campo in Telde, Gran Canaria. This was announced by MEF Tennis Events, the Italian organizers of the €44,820 clay-court event.
Teenager Lorenzo Musetti, who clinched his maiden ATP Challenger crown on home soil at Forli last year, leads a strong Italian contingent. The 18-year-old World No. 122 will be joined by Federico Gaio, Paolo Lorenzi, Lorenzo Giustino, Alessandro Giannessi and Gian Marco Moroni. Spanish veterans Tommy Robredo and Guillermo Garcia Lopez will also be part of the line-up.
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Las Palmas native and 2013 ATP Finals doubles champions David Marrero will serve as the tournament director for the first time.
“The MEF Tennis Events call was an honor for me. I am very happy for this opportunity, and I am convinced that alongside Marcello Marchesini (founder of MEF Tennis Events), I can learn a lot. I want these weeks to be perfect for the players,” explains Marrero, who points out that “normally players tend to look for a good hotel, good food, and perfect courts. I think we are ready: the hotel is incredible, as is the food, in addition to the fact that the club is great point of reference for the Canary Islands.”
The El Cortijo Tennis Acdaemy is one of the most renowned tennis facilities on the third largest island of the Canary Islands. The venue is located approximately 15 kilometers south of the capital Las Palmas in Telde, the second largest city in Gran Canaria. The international airport can be reached by car in just 10 minutes. The stars of the Challenger circuit will stay at the Bull Reina Isabel & Spa Hotel, overlooking the well-known Playa de Las Canteras, in Las Palmas.
On the participation of Musetti, Marrero said: “I am very happy for the participation of a player like Lorenzo. I saw him in Rome against Nishikori and I think he has incredible and unexplored potential and I hope he will play a great tournament.”
The ATP Challenger Tour returns to the Canary Islands for the third time and first in 12 years, as Gran Canaria hosts back-to-back clay-court tournaments in late February and early March.
Further read: Interview with Marcello Marchesini: “We are ready!”
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