It was a bad day to be a highly seeded player in Quito, as the top two seeds went crashing out of the Ecuador Open. The quarterfinals were full of surprises as favourites were upset and given scares left, right, and center. The surprise semifinal lineup is now set after a wild quarterfinal day in Quito.
Results
The warning signs were apparent right from the start on Friday as third seed Thomaz Bellucci was forced to fight past Pablo Carreno Busta, eventually emerging victorious after two hours and seven minutes, defeating the eighth seed 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-2. Belluci fired 15 aces, but followed them up with 10 double faults. Still, it was enough for him to win 81 percent of his first serve points. Carreno Busta did a good job to stay alive, saving 10 of 14 break points in the match, including five of six in the opening set. But his return fell short in the deciding set, as he was unable to reach break point and was broken himself twice.
The first major upset followed on Stadium Court, as sixth seed Paolo Lorenzi upset top seed Bernard Tomic, coming back from a set down for the 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3 victory. Lorenzi dominated on serve, blasting 25 aces and winning 91 percent of his first serve points, all the while saving all three break points he faced in the match. The first break of serve came Lorenzi’s way at the perfect moment, up 6-5 with Tomic serving to stay in the set. The Italian broke to claim the set, and would grab the lone break in the third set to wrap up the victory in two hours and eight minutes to set a semifinal date with Bellucci.
Defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos was also tested in his quarterfinal match against Argentinian qualifier Renzo Olivo, but eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. Estrella Burgos limited his opponent to only two break points, with Olivo grabbing his lone break in the deciding set. However, Estrella Burgos countered with two breaks of his own to wrap up the victory in two hours and fifteen minutes.
The last match of the day saw yet another upset, as Feliciano Lopez’s struggles against Albert Ramos-Vinolas continued, only this time it was an injury that gifted the seventh seed a victory. Ramos-Vinolas, who ironically had been in the hospital with an illness earlier in the day, broke his Spanish rival twice in the opening set, including a late break to seal it. The seventh seeded Spaniard was leading by a break in the second set when Lopez retired. In three matches, Lopez, the current world number 22, has never won a set against the 55th ranked Ramos-Vinolas in three matches.
So the semifinals are set. On Saturday, Bellucci will take on Lorenzi, while defending champion Estrella Burgos will do battle with Ramos-Vinolas with a spot in the final on the line.