Victor Estrella grabbed the headlines a year ago when he became the first player from the Dominican Republic to win an ATP Tour event in Quito, claiming his maiden title at the ripe old age of 34. He was back in the Ecuadorian capital today to defend his title and got off to a solid start with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Argentina’s Guido Pella.
“I felt very comfortable today, playing at a good level. Winning last season gave me confidence but it’s a new tournament and I think I’m a different type of player. I’m playing better, I’ve got more confidence and my level has undoubtedly raised. That’s very positive and it helps me to continue advancing in this tournament”, said Estrella.
In other action on day two of the Ecuador Open, experimented claycourter Albert Ramos defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 7-6. Rajeev Ram claimed the first ATP main draw clay court win of his career at the age of 31 by defeating Horacio Zeballos, who so famously upset Rafa Nadal in the Viña del Mar final in 2013, with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-6. Finally, Andrej Martin made it a miserable day for Marcel Granollers, who also lost in the doubles, taking down the Spaniard 7-6, 6-2.
Tomorrow’s order of play is jampacked with exciting duels between clay-court specialists:
Iñigo Cervantes v Pablo Carreño
Thomaz Bellucci v Alberto Montañes
Alejandro Falla v Gonzalo Escobar or Paolo Lorenzi
Bernard Tomic v Roberto Carballes
