OVIEDO, August 28, 2025
The semi-finals of the XC Copa Real Club de Tenis de Oviedo are set. Italy’s Lorenzo Giustino will take on Spaniard Pedro Vives Marcos, and Javier Barranco Cosano will meet Miguel Damas in an all-Spanish encounter on Friday.
Giustino produced the most straightforward win on Thursday, cruising past eighth-seeded Ivan Marrero Curbelo of Spain 6-2, 6-0. Despite the scoreline, the the top seed of the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event insisted it had not been as easy as it looked.
“There are always problems, but I make it seem like there aren’t,” Giustino said. “There were many close games. Today was difficult because of the wind, but I played at a high level in the important points.”
Asked about his upcoming opponent, the 33-year-old stated: “We played the final in Gijón. He’s a very talented player. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Vives Marcos, who knocked off No. 4 seed Gerard Campana Lee of South Korea 6-3, 7-6(8) also reflected on their previous meeting: “I lost a pretty close match in Gijón, so tomorrow I’ll be looking for revenge,” said the 24-year-old Spaniard. “We know each other well, we’ve trained together, and his coach is a friend of mine. It was all about who could control emotions better. And the wind made it really tough—it was swirling everywhere, not just one side to the other.”
The day’s longest battle came from Barranco Cosano, who needed nearly three hours to edge out his compatriot and No. 7 seed Carlos Lopez Montagud 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
“In the first set I played very well, but in the second I sat back too much and missed chances to break,” the No. 2 seed explained. “He played aggressively at the end and it worked for him. In the third, I knew he had already played a long match, so I had to stay solid.”
The Andalusian admitted the windy conditions were far from ideal: “I don’t like playing in the wind, especially on serve, as the ball moves a lot.”
Next up for Barranco is compatriot and friend Miguel Damas, who rallied past fifth-seeded Dutchman Michiel de Krom 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“Barranco is playing well and it will be a great match,” Damas said. “I’ll try to give my best. We’ve both played long matches, but physically we’re all in good shape. The one who plays better will win, not the one who is more rested.”
Damas praised the event in Oviedo, which he described as one of the strongest on the Spanish ITF Pro Circuit: “In Spain, at the 25K tournaments, there’s always a high level. This one is very well organized and has a great reputation. Today I managed to fight back in the third set and never lost belief.”
He, too, acknowledged the wind as a deciding factor: “It’s tough to play, you have to give more margin on the shots. The one who adapts best to the wind wins.”
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