Ramos-Viñolas and the Vavassori brothers shine at the Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100

01/04/2025Uncategorized

Ramos-Viñolas stuns the top seed on a thrilling day that saw favourites progress in singles and the Vavassori brothers dominate in doubles.

Day three of the Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100, taking place at Club Tenis Ciutadella from 30 March to 6 April, delivered high drama and standout performances, with unexpected results in the singles round of 32 and the opening round of doubles. The direction of this year’s tournament is already being shaped by some brilliant early displays.

Two major storylines stood out: Albert Ramos-Viñolas’s surprise win over top-seeded Brit Billy Harris, and a commanding debut from Italy’s Andrea and Matteo Vavassori, who steamrolled the number one seeds in the doubles draw.

Ramos-Viñolas rolls back the years in Ciutadella

Veteran Spaniard Albert Ramos-Viñolas, who has announced this will be his final season on tour, showed he still has plenty to offer. In a physically and mentally demanding encounter, he defeated top seed Billy Harris 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in a two-hour-and-forty-minute battle.

Ramos-Viñolas looked sharp from the baseline, breaking early and comfortably taking the first set. Harris responded with more aggressive play in the second, but the Catalan stayed composed, seizing his chance late in the third with a decisive break to book his place in the last 16.

Solid progress for Ofner, Taberner, Choinski and Cachín

Aside from Ramos-Viñolas’s upset, the rest of the seeded players stayed on course. Sebastian Ofner (AUT), the second seed, advanced after Adrian Andreev retired with the score at 6-2, 2-0 in Ofner’s favour.

Carlos Taberner (ESP, seed No. 5) came back strongly after dropping the opening set to Denis Yevseyev, securing victory 2-6, 6-4, 1-6 with a composed finish.

Britain’s Jan Choinski (No. 6) came through a closely fought contest against Oriol Roca Batalla, winning 7-6(4), 7-5, while Pedro Cachín (ARG), competing with a wildcard, impressed with a confident 6-2, 6-3 win over eighth seed Edas Butvilas (LTU) in just 73 minutes.

Also making it into the round of 16 are Lukas Neumayer, Benjamin Hassan, Pol Martín Tiffon and Vilius Gaubas, who put in a commanding display to beat Henri Squire (GER) 6-0, 7-6(5).

Doubles: Vavassori brothers make a statement

Tuesday also saw the start of the main draw in doubles, and it kicked off in emphatic style. Italian siblings Andrea and Matteo Vavassori, granted a wildcard entry, pulled off one of the most dominant performances of the day, sweeping aside the top seeds Nedunchezhiyan / Sundar Prashanth (IND) 2-6, 0-6 in just 53 minutes.

Second seeds Johannes Ingildsen / David Stevenson also impressed, overcoming a slow start to defeat Coppejans / Piros with a straight-sets win (6-2, 6-2). Meanwhile, third seeds Daniel Cukierman / Joshua Paris were pushed to the limit in one of the day’s most competitive matches, edging out Chandrasekar / Vega Hernández (IND/ESP) 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-5 in a dramatic match tiebreak.

Rounding out the doubles results, Jiri Barnat and Filip Duda (CZE) secured their place in the quarter-finals with a solid 6-1, 6-4 win over compatriot Matej Vocel and Poland’s Szymon Walkow.

Singles Results – Round of 32

  • A. Ramos-Viñolas (ESP) def. [1] B. Harris (GBR) 6-2 / 4-6 / 6-4
  • [WC] P. Cachín (ARG) def. [8] E. Butvilas (LTU) 6-2 / 6-3
  • [2] S. Ofner (AUT) def. A. Andreev (BUL) 6-2 / 2-0 ret.
  • [5] C. Taberner (ESP) def. D. Yevseyev (KAZ) 2-6 / 6-4 / 1-6
  • [6] J. Choinski (GBR) def. O. Roca Batalla (ESP) 7-6(4) / 7-5
  • [7] V. Gaubas (LTU) def. H. Squire (GER) 6-0 / 7-6(5)
  • L. Neumayer (AUT) def. [WC] F. Virgili (ITA) 6-3 / 6-4
  • B. Hassan (LBN) def. N. Álvarez Varona (ESP) 7-6(1) / 6-3
  • P. Martín Tiffon (ESP) def. J. Engel (GER) 4-6 / 6-3 / 3-6

Doubles Results – Round of 16

  • [WC] A. Vavassori / M. Vavassori (ITA) def. [1] Nedunchezhiyan / Prashanth (IND) 2-6 / 0-6
  • [2] Ingildsen (DEN) / Stevenson (GBR) def. Coppejans / Piros 6-2 / 6-2
  • Barnat / Duda (CZE) def. Vocel / Walkow (CZE/POL) 6-1 / 6-4
  • [3] Cukierman (ISR) / Paris (GBR) def. Chandrasekar / Vega Hernández (IND/ESP) 7-6(4) / 5-7 / 10-5

Backed by Consell Insular de Menorca as title sponsor, and supported by AETIB, Ajuntament de Ciutadella and brands such as San Miguel, Solán de Cabras, Joma, Marca, Bolt 6, Conecta Balear and Led Projects, the Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100 continues to establish itself as a key event on the international tennis calendar, combining elite competition with rising talent.

Wednesday’s action promises more high-quality matchups, as this exciting edition of the tournament continues to raise the bar for international tennis on the island of Menorca.

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