BRAGA/STARNBERG, September 21, 2022

The bottom half of the draw at the €45,730 Braga Open ATP Challenger Tour clay-court tournament was in second-round action on Wednesday led by second-seeded Spaniard Carlos Taberner. The World No. 121 defeated his compatriot Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo 6-2, 6-4.

Taberner sent down three aces and won 75 per cent of his first-service points to advance in one hour and 55 minutes. The 25-year-old Valencia native, a five-time Challenger champion, will next take on Timofey Skatov of Kazakhstan, who eased past fifth-seeded Frenchman Manuel Guinard 6-1, 6-0 in 66 minutes.

2nd seed @Carlos_Taberner defeats Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo 6-2, 6-4 in a Spanish battle to reach @ATPChallenger #BragaOpen quarter-finals.

First time winning back-to-back matches since Barcelona, which explains the celebration. pic.twitter.com/m4U8ajYf9p

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) September 21, 2022

Elsewhere, Javier Barranco Cosano of Spain benefited from the retirement of No. 8 seed Benoit Paire from France. The 23-year-old qualifier was leading 7-5, 4-0 when former World No. 18 Paire, who struggled with the heat in Northern Portugal, was forced to stop playing due to dyspnea.

Next up for Barranco Cosano will be US-American qualifier Nicolas Moreno de Alboran, who overcame a one-set deficit to outlast fourth favourite Alexandre Muller of France 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The encounter lasted two hours and 36 minutes.