No. 1 seed Marcel Granollers had a strong start in his first appearance at the Tiburon Challenger, demonstrating why he’s been ranked top 20 in the world. In an exciting performance against USA’s Evan King, his energy, focus and incredible ability to transition to the net set him apart from his opponent, as he won in straight sets 6-2 7-5.
The final match of the day between USA’s Noah Rubin and Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker turned out to be a one-sided battle. Rubin, the Challenger’s 6th seed, played a flawless match, beating de Bakker, who has been top 40 in the world without losing a game.
American Wildcard JC Aragone took full advantage of his opportunity today, beating Jay Clarke from Great Britain. Aragone served with power and consistency and backed it up with accurate groundstrokes that proved too much for the Brit.
The final qualifying round for singles and doubles filled the last four spots in the main draw. American Alex Sarkissian advanced, as did Turkey’s Cem Ilkel, Canadian Steven Diaz and Roberto Vivero Gonzalez from Spain. In the doubles qualifying match, Hans Hach Verdugo of Mexico and Luke Saville (AUS) advanced to the main draw, beating Sergio Galdos (PER) and Marc-Andrea Huesler (SUI).
Tomorrow’s lineup is impressive, with an afternoon match between Michael Mmoh (USA) and Darian King (BAR) a highlight. King defeated Mmoh in 2016 to win the Challenger.
Men’s Singles First Round
[1] M. Granollers (ESP) d E. King (USA) 62 75
[6] N. Rubin (USA) d T. de Bakker (NED) 60 60
[8] B. Fratangelo (USA) d P. Krstin (SRB) 60 63
[WC] J Aragone (USA) d J. Clarke (GBR) 62 76(5)
Men’s Qualifying Singles Third Round
[8] S. Diez (CAN) d [1] L. Broady (GBR) 61 63
[2] C. Ilkel (TUR) d L. Saville (AUS) 63 67(3) 63
[7] R. Ortego-Olmedo (ESP) d [4] J. Choinski (GER) 76(1) 63
A. Sarkissian (USA) d P. Vivero Gonzales (ESP) 63 67(3) 62
Men’s Qualifying Doubles Second Round
[1] Hans Hach Verdugo (MEX)/L. Saville (AUS) d [2] S. Galdos (PER)/M-A. Huesler (SUI) 62 64
