POZOBLANCO/STARNBERG, July 19, 2025
Daniel Merida continued his impressive run at the 2025 Open Ciudad de Pozoblanco Covap – Memorial Fabián Dorado, booking his place in the semifinals with a hard-fought 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win over Briton Johannus Monday. The 21-year-old from Madrid weathered a mid-match dip in form and summoned his best tennis in the final set to overcome an opponent fresh off a Wimbledon appearance against Tommy Paul.
The match began with a surprisingly dominant display from the Spaniard, who raced to a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes, breaking Monday’s serve twice. Known for his powerful service game and standing at 1.98m, Monday had used his serve to navigate past earlier rounds, but found no early answers to Merida’s aggressive return game.
While the Brit managed to regain some composure midway through the first set, breaking Merida for the first time and applying some pressure, the damage had already been done. The Spaniard closed out the set 6-3 and saved multiple break points early in the second to maintain momentum.
However, Monday grew into the match, saving a break point at 5-5 with a booming serve before capitalizing on a rare lapse from Merida, who appeared unsettled after a disputed line call, to break and steal the second set 7-5.
The decider saw Monday continue his surge, forcing Merida onto the back foot with a flurry of aggressive play. The Spaniard faced two break points at 1-2, 15-40, but dug deep to hold and then broke his opponent in the very next game. From there, he never looked back, sealing the win in just over two hours.
Tiago Pereira cruises into career-best semifinal
Portugal’s Tiago Pereira reached the biggest semifinal of his young career after an assured 6-2, 6-4 victory over Lithuania’s Edas Butvilas. The 22-year-old looked every bit the seasoned professional, dictating from the baseline and never allowing his opponent to settle.
Pereira stormed to a 4-0 lead to start the match, using his serve effectively and capitalizing on Butvilas’ inconsistency. Although the Lithuanian managed to break back and momentarily halted the charge, Pereira steadied himself to take the first set.
The second set followed a similar pattern. While Butvilas improved his first serve percentage and played more conservatively, Pereira maintained control. The only break point of the set came at 5-4, and Pereira converted it with clinical precision to close out the match in just 72 minutes.
Fajing Sun ends Shah’s dream run
China’s Fajing Sun continued his steady march through the draw, eliminating 17-year-old Indian sensation Aryan Shah 6-4, 6-4 to claim a spot in the last four. While Shah once again showed flashes of brilliance, it was Sun’s patience, experience, and consistency that ultimately prevailed.
The Chinese sixth seed absorbed everything Shah threw at him, saving four early break points and striking when it mattered most, breaking in the seventh game to secure the opening set.
In the second, Shah’s nerves began to show. A string of unforced errors handed Sun another early break, and from there the veteran closed out the match without facing further danger, completing the win in 86 minutes.
In the final match of the day, eighth-seeded Briton Oliver Crawford knocked out top seed and defending champion Hugo Grenier of France 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in exactly two hours of play.
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FRIDAY RESULTS
Quarterfinal Singles
Daniel Merida (ESP) def. Johannus Monday (GBR) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Tiago Pereira (POR) def. Edas Butvilas (LTU) 6-2, 6-4
Fajing Sun (CHN) def. Aryan Shah (IND) 6-4, 6-4
Oliver Crawford (GBR) def. Hugo Grenier (FRA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
