SEVILLA/STARNBERG, September 4, 2023
The ATP Challenger Tour returns to Andalucía, Spain for the LX Copa Sevilla, which is celebrating its 60th edition this week. José María Alfín, who repeated his victory the following year, was the first winner of the tournament in 1963. Since 1991, the Copa Sevilla, held on the unique yellow clay at the historic Real Club de Tenis Betis, has been part of the Challenger Circuit. It is one of the seven longest-running Challenger events in the world.
60 años de #CopaSevillaChallenger
¡Solo queda disfrutar! #andalucia #andaluciaellutardeldeporte pic.twitter.com/b3EQ3djm3l
— Copa Sevilla (@CopaSevillaCh) August 31, 2023
Unique yellow clay
With its ‘albero’ the venue has become an iconic bullring on the Challenger Tour, particularly for the Spanish armada. It’s a hallowed ground where some of Spain’s greatest tennis talents launched their careers, including future World No. 1s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya.
Their journey began on these courts, and they went on to achieve remarkable success on the international stage. On September 17, 2001 at the age of 15 years and three months, Nadal secured his first ATP Ranking point at the Copa Sevilla by beating his compatriot Israel Matos Gil in the first round.
Son muchos los profesionales del #tenis que han pasado por nuestras pistas a lo largo de estos 60 años. Uno de ellos es el gran @RafaelNadal , quien recuerda con especial cariño su paso por la #CopaSevillaChallenger .
Este es el cariñoso saludo que nos manda. pic.twitter.com/N4lvzgytvH— Copa Sevilla (@CopaSevillaCh) September 1, 2023
This historic venue has also witnessed the rise of other Spanish stars who went on to become Top 10 players, such as Alex Corretja, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, Nicolas Almagro, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Pablo Carreno Busta.
In recent years, the Real Club de Tenis Betis has continued to be a breeding ground for talent. It has played host to the emergence of current and recent #NextGenATP stars, including 2016 champion Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, winner in 2017, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who lifted the trophy in 2019.
Carballés Baena top seed in 2023
Setting history aside, the organizers have every reason to be proud. The Copa Sevilla stands out as the only ATP Challenger 125 event in the world in 2023 featuring five players from the Top 100. This makes it the most competitive in terms of player quality.
This year’s line-up is led by World No. 63 Roberto Carballés Baena, one of at least 10 Spaniards in the main draw. The 30-year-old Tenerife native defeated his compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles in last year’s final, avenging his loss in 2021 to Pedro Martínez. He will open his title defence against a qualifier. Carballés Baena made it to the second round of the US Open but was defeated by Aslan Karatsev from Russia.
Argentine Pedro Cachín, winner of the 2015 Copa Sevilla, fell in the opening round in Flushing Meadows to US-American Ben Shelton and received a wild card into the main draw. The World No. 66 will play Raul Brancaccio of Italy in the first round. World No. 82 Jaume Munar from Spain is seeded third and starts his albero campaign against Italian Alessandro Giannessi. Argentine Facundo Díaz Acosta (World No. 94), who has secured three ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, and Frenchman Hugo Gaston (World No. 99) round out the Top 100 club in Southern Spain.
Orden de juego para mañana domingo 3 de septiembre y cuadro final para esta 60 edición de la #CopaSevillaChallenger pic.twitter.com/Jboslh4pmP
— Copa Sevilla (@CopaSevillaCh) September 2, 2023
