BENDIGO/STARNBERG, January 6, 2022
Three Frenchmen advanced to the quarterfinals of the Bendigo International led by World No. 150 Hugo Grenier. The No. 3 seed of the $58,320 ATP Challenger Tour tournament hosted by the Bendigo Tennis Association in Victoria, Australia overcame 16th favourite Zizou Bergs from Belgium 6-0, 5-7, 7-6(5) in a topsy-turvy encounter on Thursday.
Grenier fired 12 aces and won 86 per cent of his first-service points to seal victory in two hours and 22 minutes. Up next for the 25-year-old Montbrison native will be Salvatore Caruso of Italy, who received a walkover from Gastao Elias from Portugal.
Quentin Halys emerged victorious from the all-French battle with Mathias Bourgue, winning 6-2, 6-4. The No. 4 seed broke his rival’s serve four times to advance to the stage of the final eight after one hour and 31 minutes. Halys will now take on another compatriot, as Enzo Couacaud fought past Italian Thomas Fabbiano 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. In an even match with both players winning 50 per cent of the total points played, the 10th seed struck 13 aces and gained one break than more than Fabbiano to prevail after two hours and 23 minutes.
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In other action, Franco Agamenone stopped the good run of German veteran Matthias Bachinger, who had knocked out the tournament’s top seed Nikola Milojevic of Serbia in the second round. The 28-year-old Italian won 6-4, 6-4 in 66 minutes to face Kazakh Dmitry Popko in the quarterfinals. The No. 11 seed beat 19-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 22 minutes.
Vit Kopriva from the Czech Republic battled past Argentine Facundo Mena 7-6(11), 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 36 minutes and will next play No. 8 seed Ernesto Escubedo from the United States, who edged out No. 9 seed Jason Jung of Chinese Taipei 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. The match lasted one hour and 58 minutes.
