Ivashka Sets Tsitsipas Clash In Mallorca

Ilya Ivashka surged to a comprehensive 6-4, 6-1 victory against Emil Ruusuvuori on Monday to book a second-round meeting with second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Mallorca Championships.

Ivashka’s first-round victory at the ATP 250 event in Spain came on a day when he rose to a career-high No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 28-year-old celebrated with a clinical performance against Ruusuvuori, breaking the Finn’s serve four times in an 88-minute victory to extend his lead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 5-0.

Tsitsipas and Ivashka’s two previous tour-level meetings have both come in 2022. The Greek claimed a straight-sets win on hard in Rotterdam in February and backed that up with a three-set triumph on the clay in Barcelona in April.

Third seed Denis Shapovalov’s opening opponent in Mallorca was also set on Monday. Benjamin Bonzi advanced to the second round after Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo retired with the Frenchman leading 6-3, 4-2.

It will be a maiden tour-level meeting for Shapovalov and Bonzi at a tournament where both are appearing for the first time.