Londero Looking To Repeat In Cordoba

Twelve months ago, Juan Ignacio Londero was a relative unknown on the ATP Tour. The Argentine, No. 112 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, hadn’t won a tour-level match and received a wild card at the inaugural Cordoba Open.

But Londero won the ATP 250 and during the past year, he has proven his maiden title run was no fluke. Londero is at a career-high No. 50, and he returned to the Cordoba quarter-finals on Thursday night.

The 26-year-old beat countryman Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3 and will next meet Serbian Laslo Djere. Londero won 79 per cent (26/33) of his first-serve points and saved all five break points faced.

“I was a little nervous and that’s why I talked to myself a lot and that’s how I got in the game. The way I have to activate [myself] is by encouraging myself a lot. If I keep quiet, that doesn’t happen. It was a game with many nerves for me, and I am glad I won it in straight sets,” Londero said.

“For me, it is more a motivation than a pressure to play in Cordoba and try to defend the title. If I had to defend the tournament elsewhere, without having the support of my family, my friends who can see me live, the truth is that I think it would be more difficult anywhere else. I have been having a good time.”

Djere, the 2019 Rio presented by Claro champion, beat Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-4. The Serbian finished 2019 on a seven-match losing streak but ended that in his first match of 2020 in Doha. He will try to reach his first semi-final since July at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag (l. to Balazs). 

“The next match against Djere will be difficult, but I go game-by-game, point-by-point. I only think about the next one, to prepare well and be recovered,” Londero said.

Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas held off countryman Pablo Andujar 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 to make his second quarter-final of 2020 (Adelaide). Ramos-Vinolas, a two-time ATP Tour clay-court titlist, broke Andujar at 4-4 in the third after a 20-minute rain delay.

Play resumed with Andujar serving at 4-4, 0/30. The 34-year-old recovered to deuce, but Ramos-Vinolas converted his third break point of the game and served it out. The left-hander broke eight times from 21 opportunities.

He will next meet the winner of top seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina and Spain’s Jaume Munar, who are playing the final match of the day.