ORTISEI/STARNBERG, October 25, 2023
Luca Giacomini is enjoying an excellent run at the 14th edition of the Sparkasse Challenger Val Gardena Südtirol, the biggest tennis tournament in South Tyrol being held this week at the Tennis Club Ortisei.
World No. 699 Giacomini backed up his successful qualification into the main draw with a 6-3, 6-4 first-round victory over Louis Wessels, despite the German being ranked 356 places higher than the 25-year-old Italian. The Padova native withstood eight aces and broke Wessels’ serve three times to succeed in one hour and 14 minutes.
“It’s the first time since 2019 that I’ve qualified for a Challenger and then reached the round of 16. Four years ago, my best world ranking was 460, but then I had abdominal muscle problems and had to take a year and a half off after shoulder surgery. Now, I hope to come back even stronger,” said Giacomini, who will face last week’s Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup champion Illya Marchenko from the Ukraine on Thursday. The former World No. 49 defeated local wild card entry Lorenzo Rottoli 6-4, 6-4 after trailing 2-4 in the second set.
Dalla Valle completes Italian quartet
As the fourth Italian alongside Federico Gaio, Francesco Forti and Giacomini, Enrico Dalla Valle also reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger Tour 50 tournament. He defeated young Russian Yaroslav Demin 7-6 (3), 6-4, ending the match with his 17th ace after nearly two hours. Up next for Dalla Valle will be top seed Abdullah Sehlbayh from Jordan.
