Ecuador Open Quito 2015: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
The first clay-court tournament of the ATP World Tour calendar got underway Monday in Quito, Ecuador.
Although the 2015 French Open is still some months away, it's never too early to hit the court and begin the preparation for Roland Garros.
The field for the 2015 Ecuador Open Quito isn't exactly star-studded, but it features a few household names, with Feliciano Lopez, Santiago Giraldo, Fernando Verdasco, Martin Klizan and Paolo Lorenzi rounding out the top-five seeds.
Read on to see how the tournament has unfolded so far.
Draw Schedule
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The 2015 Ecuador Open Quito runs from Monday, Feb. 2, until Sunday, Feb. 8. You can view the updated daily schedule at ATPWorldTour.com.
Day 7 Recap
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Day 7 Results
No. 8 Victor Estrella Burgos def. No. 1 Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(5)
Recap
On Saturday, Victor Estrella Burgos became the first Dominican Republic player to reach an ATP singles final. On Sunday, he became the first to win one, completing his magical run through Quito with a thrilling three-set victory over top seed Feliciano Lopez.
That's not the only record he set. At the age of 34, Estrella also became the oldest first-time winner in the Open Era.
The match itself was a testament to Estrella's never-say-die attitude. After easily taking the first set, he dropped the second in a tiebreak and seemed to be running out of gas after the World No. 14 captured a late break to send the third set into another tiebreak.
But Estrella was able to power through, taking advantage of the first match point to secure the historic win.
Ranked No. 73 in the world coming into the tournament, Estrella, who not long ago contemplated retirement, will continue his amazing ascent. No matter what happens from here, though, his story stands as one of the most inspirational of the year.
Day 6 Recap
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Day 6 Results
No. 8 Victor Estrella Burgos def. No. 6 Thomaz Bellucci 7-6(5), 7-5
No. 1 Feliciano Lopez def. No. 3 Fernando Verdasco 7-6(5), 7-6(1)
Recap
Victor Estrella became the first Dominican Republic player to reach an ATP final, knocking off Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets during the first semifinal. As the final score suggests, it was an even match, with Estrella winning 89 total points, and Bellucci taking 80.
As the 34-year-old was getting ready to serve for the match, play was stalled by a four-hour rain delay. Bellucci broke shortly after the delay to tie the set at five games apiece, but Estrella broke right back and went on to take the match.
Going for his first title, Estrella will battle a player who has four under his belt in Feliciano Lopez.
The tournament No. 1 seed wasn't at his best against a game Fernando Verdasco, but he made shots when he needed. He held Verdasco to just 2-of-12 on break-point opportunities, he earned a crucial break when Verdasco was serving for the second set and he won both tiebreaks in impressive fashion.
Lopez figures to be the favorite in the final, but when these two met at the Washington Open in August, it was Estrella who prevailed in straight sets. That was their only career meeting.
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Day 5 Recap
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Day 5 Results
No. 1 Feliciano Lopez def. No. 7 Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
No. 3 Fernando Verdasco def. No. 5 Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-2
No. 8 Victor Estrella Burgos def. No. 4 Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 Thomaz Bellucci def. Albert Montanes 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
Recap
After an uneventful Thursday at the Ecuador Open Quito, things took a turn in the quarterfinals. It wasn't a day for huge upsets, though chalk didn't hold in every match.
Victor Estrella Burgos pulled off the biggest upset on Friday with a straight-set victory over Martin Klizan. The Dominican Republic star is making a push for his first career singles title. He did make noise at last year's U.S. Open, advancing to the third round, but was upended by Milos Raonic.
A victory in this event by Burgos would also be historic, as no male player from the Dominican Republic has ever won a singles title. He's already the first player from the country to crack the top 100 in the world rankings.
Burgos has had no problems thus far, winning all three of his matches in straight sets. He was fantastic at converting first serves, hitting 20-of-25 attempts. He also won 55 percent of his total return points, compared to 26 percent for Klizan.
Klizan looked like he was in trouble going back to his previous match against Daniel Gimeno-Traver with a close three-set win.
Thomaz Bellucci wasn't as dominant against Albert Montanes despite getting his first straight-set win of the tournament. However,the Brazilian star had his service game working with 10 aces. He also got help from a sloppy Montanes, who had seven double-faults in the loss.
Top-seed Feliciano Lopez had to endure a rain delay in the third set before securing a victory over Dusan Lajovic. There wasn't a signifcant edge in the numbers for Lopez, yet he finished slightly ahead in virtually every category except aces (five to three) .
You don't need style points to advance, so Lopez can focus on the semifinal match against Fernando Verdasco. The No. 3 seed made quick work of Paolo Lorenzi, losing just three games and taking 48 minutes to advance.
Verdasco's win came as the result of first service points won, converting 28 of 31 attempts. Lorenzi only converted on three of 31 first return points. This was a destruction in every sense of the word, though things figure to get more difficult on Saturday with a match against the tournaments top seed.
All of the drama on Friday makes for an intriguing semifinal on Saturday. The four men still fighting for a title have all shown flaws at various points in the tournament, though they have made it this far. Being able to get stronger the deeper an event goes is what separates contenders from pretenders.
Note: Stats courtesy of ProTennisLive.com.
Day 4 Recap
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Day 4 Results
No. 1 Feliciano Lopez def. Alejandro Gonzalez; 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 Fernando Verdasco def. Gerald Melzer; 7-6 (2), 6-4
No. 5 Paolo Lorenzi def. Alejandro Falla; 7-5, 6-1
No. 7 Dusan Lajovic def. Nicolas Jerry; 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Recap
There were no upsets to be had on Thursday, as all four of the top seeds in action advanced with relative ease.
Dusan Lajovic, the seventh seed, had to grind out a win over Nicolas Jerry after dropping the second set, but his 6-3 third set offered a rather stress-free conclusion to the match.
The other three top players didn't drop a set. In the final fixture of the day, Fernando Verdasco was pushed to a first-set tiebreaker, but dominated Gerald Melzer in it 7-2 and took the second set 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals, where he'll face Paolo Lorenzi.
Nine double faults by Alejandro Falla made matters easier for Lorenzi to advance. Falla won just 32 percent of second-serve points as a byproduct of that, costing him a chance at the upset.
Top seed Feliciano Lopez took the opening set of his match 7-5 just as Lorenzi did, and then put his foot on the gas to close out Alejandro Gonzalez 6-2. Lopez smashed 10 aces and had a 69 to 35 percent edge in second-serve points won to help secure the victory.
With seven of the top eight seeds still remaining in the draw, the rest of the Ecuador Open in Quito promises to deliver in its maiden appearance on the ATP World Tour 250 series.
Note: Stats courtesy of ProTennisLive.com.
Day 3 Recap
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Day 3 Results
Albert Montanes def. (2) Santiago Giraldo; 7-6 (1), 7-5
(8) Victor Estrella Burgos def. Renzo Olivo; 7-6 (5), 6-4
(6) Thomaz Bellucci def. Horacio Zeballos; 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6)
(4) Martin Klizan def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver; 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
There will be a massive hole atop the draw in Ecuador following Wednesday's action. Albert Montanes, a 34-year-old Spaniard who specializes on clay courts, overcame second-seeded Santiago Giraldo in a 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory that was closer than its straight-sets finish indicates.
Montanes advances to the quarterfinals thanks in large part to his work on second-serve returns. He was able to take a ridiculous 16 of 21 (76 percent) points after Giraldo missed on his first serve, helping him earn three breaks against his opponent's two—enough to make the difference in the entire match.
It was a match that saw both players struggle mightily on second-serve points. Even Montanes managed to win only half of his opportunities, roughly half as many as he won on first-serve opportunities. The tour veteran is looking for his seventh career victory. All of his previous finals appearances and championships have been on clay. His last win came at the ATP Nice Open in 2013.
Montanes moves on to play sixth-seeded Thomaz Bellucci, who barely escaped an upset bid from unseeded Horacio Zeballos. Bellucci took the first set in fine form before dropping the second 6-3, setting up perhaps the most thrilling set thus far.
Each dominant on their first serve throughout the match, Bellucci and Zeballos dropped a break apiece thanks to faulty second serves to head into a tiebreak. Playing their way back and forth from the tiebreak, Bellucci needed a deciding 14th point to advance 8-6. Bellucci advances despite 19 aces from the quick-serving Argentine.
Eighth-seeded Victor Estrella Burgos will also advance following a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Renzo Olivo. Olivo's seven double faults will likely be what he regrets the most in an otherwise close match. Burgos did not double-fault once and hit five aces, helping him produce a 73 percent conversion rate on first-serve points.
Burgos will face fourth-seeded Martin Klizan in the quarters. Klizan earned a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 win over unseeded Daniel Gimeno-Traver on Wednesday. Both players were relatively sloppy throughout, each turning in seven double faults and having trouble controlling the pacing with their serves. Klizan hit on six of seven break-point opportunities and took 42 percent of his return points overall.
Gimeno-Traver's day will be defined by lost opportunities. While he earned five breaks, those came on 12 opportunities. Had he been able to convert, he may have advanced.
Day 2 Recap
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Men's Singles: First Round
Alejandro Gonzalez def. Facundo Bagnis, 6-2, 6-4
No. 7 Dusan Lajovic def. Luca Vanni, 7-6, 6-4
Alejandro Falla def. Joao Souza, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4
Victor Estrella Burgos def. Andre Ghem, 6-4, 6-4
Nicolas Jarry def. Gonzalo Escobar, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Gerald Melzer def. Andreas Haider-Maurer, 1-6, 7-6, 76
No. 5 Paolo Lorenzi def. Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
Renzo Olivo def. Dvgeny Donskoy, 7-6, 3-6, 6-1
Daniel Gimeno-Traver def. Marton Fucsovics, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 Thomaz Bellucci def. Giovanni Lapentti, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
Recap
The top seeds in play on Tuesday, No. 5 Paolo Lorenzi, No. 6 Thomaz Bellucci and No. 7 Dusan Lajovic, didn't exactly find the going easy in their first-round matchups. All three seeded players managed to advance, however.
Lorenzi needed all three sets to squeak past Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and barely did so, while Bellucci needed three sets to get past Marton Fucsovics (though he nearly ended it in straight sets, losing the second-set tiebreaker). Bellucci came up big when it mattered, saving six of seven break points and ripping 14 aces.
Lajovic, meanwhile, needed a first-set tiebreaker before knocking off Luca Vanni in straight sets.
Perhaps the most impressive stat of the day came from Nicolas Jarry, who ripped 19 aces in defeating Gonzalo Escobar despite dropping the opening set. Joao Souza finished the day with a much more disappointing stat, as his 12 double faults likely cost him his match against Alejandro Falla winning the the first set.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Gonzalez and Victor Estrella Burgos cruised to the second round with straight-set victories. Estrella Burgos won an impressive 61 percent (13 of 21) of his second service points, an important stat in a match where his opponent, Andre Ghem, won 81 percent of his first service points.
Day 1 Recap
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Men's Singles: Final Qualifying Round
Nicolas Jarry def. Guilherme Clezar; 7-6(2), 6-4
Renzo Olivo def. Christian Lindell; 7-6(4), 6-3
Andre Ghem (5) def. Juan Ignacio Londer; 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
Gerald Melzer (4) def. Roberto Carballes Baena (6); 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(3)
Men's Singles: First Round
Albert Montanes def. Facundo Arguello; 6-1, 6-3
Horacio Zeballos def. Austin Krajicek; 7-6(3), 6-4
Recap
Monday's action in Quito, Ecuador, served to both wrap up the qualifying round and begin the Ecuador Open Quito tournament proper.
Nicolas Jarry, Renzo Olivo, Andre Ghem and Gerald Melzer were among the biggest winners, navigating through the qualifiers to advance to the main draw. Melzer was really pushed to the limit in his victory, needing three sets and two tiebreaks to put Roberto Carballes Baena away. They had arguably the match of the day from Monday.
Over in the main draw, both Albert Montanes and Horacio Zeballos kicked off the first round of the tournament with wins. Montanes toppled Facundo Arguello, while Zeballos swept aside Austin Krajicek in straight sets.
Montanes really didn't have much trouble beating Arguello. He simply bludgeoned the Argentine when on serve; Arguello picked up only a total of 14 points on return; that's out of 48 return points in total. Although Montanes only had one ace, he consistently got his serves in and put Arguello on the back foot.
On the other side, Arguello lost 54 percent of his first-service points and was even worse on second serve. It wasn't a good day at the office for the 22-year-old.
Montanes' positive feelings probably won't last long. He plays second-seeded Giraldo in the second round. According to Matchstat, Giraldo's won four the the five meetings between the two.
Zeballos had a little bit of a tougher time putting Krajicek away. The two were equally impressive on serve, combining for 21 aces to only six double faults. Neither man ceded much ground, and it was no surprise that the first set needed a tiebreak to decide who would get the early edge.
The decisive moment of the match came in the the second set, with Zeballos breaking the American's serve. It was the only service break among the 11 opportunities for the two throughout the match. That opening was all the 29-year-old Argentine needed to secure the set and the match.
His inability to get much of an advantage on Krajicek when returning might be a worrying sign going forward, but with his serve on like it was on Monday, that may not become an issue at all.
Zeballos will face either Giovanni Lapentti or Thomaz Bellucci in the second round. He's never met Bellucci before, so that would be a fresh challenge, while he and Lapentti have split their two meetings.
Note: Stats are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com.
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