GRAN CANARIA/STARNBERG, February 28, 2022
The ATP Challenger Tour has returned to the Canary Islands for the third edition of the Gran Canaria Challenger. The €45,730 clay-court tournament, organized by MEF Tennis Events, is being held at the El Cortijo Club de Campo in Telde.
Main draw action kicked off on Monday with Raul Brancaccio knocking out fellow Italian and No. 6 seed Gian Marco Moroni 6-0 ,6-1. The 24-year-old Torre del Greco native was in total control of the encounter, as he didn’t face a break point and capitalized on six of his own seven break-point chances to advance after one hour and 14 minutes.
Al #GranCanariaChallenger è derby tutto italiano 🇮🇹 fra Gian Marco #Moroni e Raul #Brancaccio 🤝@federtennis | #meftennisevents | #tennis | @ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/JnjvnqphYN
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) February 28, 2022
“It is never easy to face a player you know well, a teammate in Serie A1 that I have challenged several times over the years. I gave my best with a lot of intensity in my shots right from the start and I think I can feel very satisfied,” said Brancaccio, who returned to practice at the Academia Tenis Ferrer in Jávea, near Alicante in Spain, earlier this year.
“I already knew the environment and I received a great welcome from everyone. This is the third tournament of my season. There is a lot to do and to improve, the goal is to be able to play the Grand Slam qualifiers.”
The World No. 288 will next take on Eduard Esteve Lobato from Spain, who rallied past Portuguese Joao Domingues 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(2) in almost three hours of play.
Third-seeded Slovakian Andrej Martin opened his title bid with a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 win over Spaniard Nicolas Alvarez Varona. The World No. 128 sent down six aces and won 81 per cent of his first-service points to seal victory in one hour and three minutes. Martin will next face either Italian Riccardo Bonadio or French qualifier Mathieu Perchicot.
Monday Results
Singles – First Round
Andrej Martin b. Nicolas Alvarez Varona 6-1 6-1
Raul Brancaccio b. Gian Marco Moroni 6-0 6-1
Eduard Esteve Lobato b. Joao Domingues 6-7(4) 6-2 7-6(2)
Nicolas Moreno de Alboran b. Pablo Llamas Ruiz 6-0 6-2
Alessandro Giannessi c. Lukas Rosol 6-7(7) 6-3 4-4 susp.
Singles – Final Round Qualifying
Johan Nikles b. Fabien Reboul 6-1 6-1
Oriol Roca Batalla b. Alexis Gautier 6-4 6-4
Miguel Damas b. Matteo Martineau 7-6(2) 2-6 6-3
Matthieu Perchicot b. Louis Wessels 6-4 6-2
Pol Toledo Bague b. Vladyslav Orlov 6-4 6-3
Carlos Lopez Montagud b. Maxime Chazal 4-6 6-2 6-2
📌 Order of Play | Tuesday 1 March @GranCanariaDep | @GranCanariaTur | #GranCanariaChallenger | @RFETenis pic.twitter.com/OnLAgaOCSK
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) February 28, 2022
