Top seed Bernard Tomic played in his first tournament since reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. He got through with a hard fought victory, while the large Spanish contingent was quickly diminished as the second round hit full stride with all four seeds advancing on Wednesday at the Ecuador Open Quito.
Tomic Seals Win With Late Break
Fresh off his second straight round of 16 appearance at his home major, Bernard Tomic was forced to fight in his first match in Quito. He narrowly defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals. Tomic survived 14 aces from his opponent, breaking to start the third set and never looking back. Both men broke serve four times out of nine opportunities. Tomic’s break in the first game of the third was all the Australian would need to advance in just over an hour and a half.
Seeds Move On
Tomic will take on 6th seed Paolo Lorenzi in the quarterfinals. The Italian cruised past Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-2. Lorenzi broke serve four times in the match, while limiting his opponent to two break points. Falla would only convert one. Lorenzi was dominant on serve, wining 82 percent of his first serve points. He also won 46 percent of the points on his opponent's serve to reach the quarterfinals.
Eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta survived a tight all-Spanish affair. He edged Inigo Cervantes 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 6-2 in two hours and 14 minutes. Cervantes blasted 15 aces past Carreno Busta, but countered that with 14 double faults. Both men were solid on serve, winning over 80 percent of their first serve points. The 8th seeded Spaniard was more solid on return, eventually breaking down his opponent to cruise through the final set. Cervantes only held three break points in the match, converting one. Carreno Busta converted four of his ten chances in the victory.
Bellucci Rolls
Carreno Busta will take on third seed Thomaz Bellucci, who cruised past Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-4. Montanes became the third Spaniard to lose out of the four in action on Wednesday. Belluci was strong on serve, smacking 11 aces and only losing four points on his first serve in the entire match. He followed up his strong serving by breaking Montanes four times on eight opportunities. The Spaniard reclaimed one of the breaks in the second set, however he was limited to just two chances in the match and could not come all the way back. Bellucci wrapped up the victory in exactly one hour.
Thursday's Schedule
The Spaniards will be hoping for a better showing tomorrow, as three more will take to the court. All are seeded with second seed Feliciano Lopez leading the charge. He'll be joined by 4th seed Fernando Verdasco and 7th seed Albert Ramos Vinolas. Ramos Vinolas takes on American Rajeeve Ram who won his first ATP level clay court match in the opening round. Defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos will kick off the action on Thursday against Andrej Martin.