GUIA DE ISORA/STARNBERG, January 16, 2024
Fabio Fognini of Italy opened his title bid at the Tenerife Challenger 1 with a hard-fought first-round win over Frenchman Matteo Martineau on Tuesday. The top seed of the €120,950 ATP Challenger Tour hard-court tournament hosted by the Abama Tennis Academy in Guía de Isora emerged victorious, 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-1.
In his first match of the 2024 season, the 36-year-old Fognini overcame a slow start, sent down six aces and won 79 per cent of his first-service points to succeed in two hours and six minutes.
First match of the season ☑️ @fabiofogna 🇮🇹 beats Martineau 6-7 6-3 6-1 and enters the second round of the Tenerife Challenger 1 👏#tennis #TenerifeChallenger #VisitTenerife #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/7g7bBwjK4L
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) January 16, 2024
“I could have closed out the match more easily. I struggled a bit more, but I did it,” said Fognini. Temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius on the largest and most populous of the Canary Islands in combination with a passionate crowd on Centre Court supporting the wild card entry, provided an exceptional setting for his debut in Tenerife.
“Someone told me this morning that it would even rain,” Fognini joked. “Instead, it was a beautiful day. I am happy to have won and must continue on this path.”
Waiting for the World No. 103 is Kazakh qualifier Denis Yevseyev, who benefited from the retirement of last week’s Indoor Oeiras Open champion Leandro Riedi of Switzerland. Yevseyev was leading 6-4, 4-1 when Riedi was forced to stop playing.
Martinez advances, Paire falls
In other action, No. 2 seed Pedro Martinez from Spain edged past Belgian qualifier Michael Geerts 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in two hours and 34 minutes and will next take on Lithuanian veteran Ricardas Berankis.
“It was not an easy match,” said World No. 109 Martinez. “We both had several break points but didn’t convert them, which is why we ended up playing tie-breaks. The Abama Tennis Academy is a spectacular place to play a tennis tournament. It’s warm, and there’s a slight breeze. It’s very comfortable here.”
Third-seeded Benoit Paire fell in the opening round 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 to fellow Frenchman Geoffrey Blancaneaux in two hours and 18 minutes. Up next for Blancaneaux will be Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan.
TENERIFE CHALLENGER 1 – TUESDAY RESULTS
Fabio Fognini (WC) b. Matteo Martineau 6-7(7) 6-3 6-1
Denis Yevseyev (Q) b. Leandro Riedi 6-4 4-1 ret.
Samuel Vincent Ruggeri (Q) b. Maxime Janvier 6-3 6-3
Guy Den Ouden (Q) b. Antoine Escoffier (8) 6-3 6-3
Alejandro Moro Canas b. Pol Martin Tiffon (WC) 7-6(3) 7-5
Otto Virtanen (7) b. Abdullah Shelbayh 6-4 7-6(6)
Felipe Meligeni Alves (5) b. Dimitar Kuzmanov 3-6 6-3 6-2
Javier Barranco Cosano (Q) b. Raul Brancaccio 7-6(4) 3-1 ret.
Adrian Andreev b. Valentin Royer (Q) 6-1 6-1
Pedro Martinez (2) b. Michael Geerts (Q) 7-6(3) 7-6(5)
Geoffrey Blancaneaux b. (3) Benoit Paire 6-3 5-7 6-2
Mikhail Kukushkin b. Martin Damm 6-2 7-6(2)
📆 Order of Play | Wednesday 17 January #tennis #TenerifeChallenger #ATPChallenger #VisitTenerife pic.twitter.com/Oyqeh1VK8h
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) January 16, 2024
