SEVILLA, September 7, 2023
The 32-man draw at the LX Copa Sevilla has been whittled down to the final four with three Frenchmen reaching the semi-finals. Calvin Hemery battled past eighth-seeded Spaniard Pablo Llamas Ruiz from nearby Jerez de la Frontera 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 on a sunny Thursday afternoon in Southern Spain.
In a match between two players, who were in search for consistency in their game, the World No. 300 eventually had the better ending. Hemery sent down five aces, won 69 per cent of his first-service points and broke his rival four times to prevail after one hour and 45 minutes.
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“The key was to stay calm, as conditions were tough,” Hemery told Tennis TourTalk afterwards. “I had a long match yesterday and also had to compete in doubles. Physically I was completely down. I think that Pablo was in a similar situation, so I tried not to show him that I was in bad shape. I kept all my energy for the important points, as the match was pretty tight. I am very happy with the win. Tomorrow will be a new day.”
One of Hemery’s distinguishing qualities as a player is his powerful serve and good court coverage. He is known for his ability to generate pace on his groundstrokes and tries to come to the net as often as possible. The 28-year-old Les Lilas native, who captured his eighth singles title on the ITF Pro Circuit in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in late July, is making his debut on the “albero” at the Real Club de Tenis Betis.
“It’s my first time on the yellow clay. The balls are bouncing a bit higher but that’s okay,” Hemery commented on the unique surface on the professional tennis tour.
Up next will be his compatriot Valentin Royer. The 22-year-old qualifier continued his great run of form this week in Andalucia by beating No. 6 seed Timofey Skatov of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 43 minutes.
“We know each other very well,” said Hemery of his upcoming opponent. “We practice at the same club and he beat me last year on the tour in a big match in Saint-Tropez. So I will have my revenge now.”
🟡 Special clay, special treatment. 🟡#CopaSevillaChallenger #Albero pic.twitter.com/fVIDIZ2E5Z
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) September 7, 2023
Carballes Baena advances to semis
In the top half of the draw, defending champion Roberto Carballes Baena remains the last Spaniard standing in the singles draw of the €145,000 ATP Challenger Tour event. The top seed defeated Elias Ymer from Sweden 6-4, 6-4. Carballes Baena saved all five break points he faced and converted two of his own four break-point opportunities to advance in one hour and 51 minutes.
“It was a tough match with a lot of humidity, and during the long rallies, it was noticeable that it was hard to breathe,” said Carballes Baena. “But I’m happy because I think I served very well, managed to play aggressively, especially with my serve. This atmosphere and being surrounded by my family can indeed give me an extra boost.”
The 63th-ranked Tenerife native will next take on No. 5 seed Hugo Gaston. The 22-year-old French came back from a set down to edge past Alessandro Giannessi from Italy 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the final match of the day. The encounter lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
