MASPALOMAS/STARNBERG, December 2, 2022
Pablo Llamas Ruiz has reached his second consecutive semi-final on the ATP Challenger Tour. After last week’s run to the final four in Valencia, the 20-year-old Spaniard advanced to the same stage at the eó Hotels Maspalomas Challenger.
Llamas Ruiz picked up a racket for the first time at the age of three and was crowned Andalusian champion several times, celebrating his first triumph at just 10 years old. At 16 he made his debut at Wimbledon and in 2018 he became World Champion in the Junior Davis Cup with the Spanish national team.
The wild card entry from Jerez de la Frontera delighted the crowd at the Jackson Tennis Club by defeating Lorenzo Giustino of Italy 6-4, 7-6(7) on Friday. Llamas Ruiz converted four of his nine break-point opportunities to prevail after two hours and seven minutes.
“I knew it was going to be a very tough match,” said Llamas Ruiz after the match. “I knew I had to pull out all my tricks and I played the match from start to finish the way I wanted to. Lorenzo has a very good forehand, a very good serve.”
The World No. 417, a winner of two ITF World Tennis Tour singles titles, will next face the tournament’s top seed Dusan Lajovic. The 32-year-old Serbian received a walkover from Adrian Andreev, as the sixth-seeded Bulgarian suffered from a right knee injury.
In the bottom half of the draw, Oriol Roca Batalla also received a walkover, as No. 3 seed Vit Kopriva from the Czech Republic withdrew from the match with a low back injury. Roca Batalla will next take on Steven Diez of Canada, who fought past Italian qualifier Gian Marco Moroni 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes.
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