OLBIA/STARNBERG, October 20, 2023
Three Italians have reached the quarterfinals of the €145,000 Olbia Challenger. Mattia Bellucci, who is bidding for his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season following his triumph in Cassis, France, defeated his compatriot Raul Brancaccio 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday evening.
The 22-year-old sent down five aces and won 86 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after one hour and 31 minutes.
Bravo Mattia Bellucci 🙌
The 22-year-old advances to the quarterfinals in Olbia with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Brancaccio#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/XLabut1hnO
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 19, 2023
“I really like Sardinia, and playing outdoor hard court tournaments in Italy is quite rare. I think it’s an important event that needs to be preserved, also for my personal interests since I play well on this surface,” said Bellucci, who also produced four double faults.
“I have to say tonight the double faults scared me at a certain point, especially considering how they happened. The only downside is breaking two rackets in two days; this isn’t something I can afford. In these moments, I need to test myself. But in the end, I’m happy with the victory. I played well against Raul, who is always a tough opponent due to his playing style.”
Up next for Bellucci will fourth-seeded Slovakian Alex Molcan. Qualifier Francesco Forti and No. 7 seed Flavio Cobolli round out the Italian trio in the stage of the last eigth.
THURSDAY RESULTS
Singles – Second Round
Ugo Blanchet (SE) b. Alexandre Muller (1) 7-6(8) 6-4Kyrian Jacquet (Q) b. Pedro Martinez (5) 6-3 7-6(2)Mattia Bellucci b. Raul Brancaccio 6-4 6-4Joris De Loore (SE) b. Lloyd Harris (WC) 6-3 7-6(6)Francesco Forti (Q) b. Mathias Bourgue (Q) 6-4 6-1
Alex Molcan (4) b. Marius Copil (Q) 6-2 6-2
