VALENCIA/STARNBERG, November 23, 2023
The final two weeks of the 2023 ATP Challenger Tour season are underway and the stars of the circuit have gathered on the east coast of Spain for the second edition of the Copa Faulcombridge Ciudad de Valencia.
Both Top 100 players of the €118,000 clay-court event, being held at the Club de Tenis Valencia, have reached the quarterfinals. After a first-round win over Andrea Vavassori of Italy, World No. 62 and home favourite Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Italian Andrea Pellegrino 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday. The tournament’s top seed capitalized on all of his five break-point chances to advance in one hour and 53 minutes.
🇪🇸 SÍ @BautistaAgut 🇪🇸
The No.1 seed knocks out Pellegrino 7-5, 6-3 in Valencia to reach his first Challenger quarterfinal since 2013!#ATPChallenger | @RFETenis pic.twitter.com/mL202p2SzN
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 22, 2023
In his first ATP Challenger quarterfinal since Quimper, France in February 2013, Bautista Agut will take on fellow Spaniard and lucky loser Alejandro Moro Canas, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Germany’s Rudolf Molleker. The encounter lasted one hour and 28 minutes.
In the bottom half of the draw, Albert Ramos-Vinolas fought past Alessandro Giannessi of Italy 6-1, 0-6, 7-6(3). The No. 3 seed from Spain broke his rival’s serve five times and won one point more to secure victory in two hours and 28 minutes.
Up next for Ramos-Vinolas will be fifth-seeded Frenchman Hugo Gaston, who beat Raul Brancaccio of Italy 6-4, 7-6(5) in one hour and 47 minutes.
