Sander Gille and Fabrice Martin reached the semi-finals at the Gijon Open on Friday when they downed Sander Arends and David Pel 6-4, 7-6(5).

In a tight clash, the Belgian-French tandem raised their level at the crucial moments, saving all three break points they faced to advance after 89 minutes at the ATP 250 event.

Gille and Martin, who upset top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the first round, are teaming for the first time this week. The 31-year-old Gille has lifted five tour-level trophies in his career, while Martin has triumphed seven times. They will next play Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

In the other match in Spain, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni moved past Nikola Cacic and Hugo Nys 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the championship match. Gonzalez and Molteni did not face a break point to triumph after 71 minutes.

Doumbia/Reboul Advance In Florence
Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul overcame Nicolas Barrientos and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-6(4), 6-2 to reach the semi-finals at the UniCredit Firenze Open in Florence.

In a strong serving display, the Frenchmen fired nine aces and won 91 per cent (30/33) of points behind their first deliveries to seal victory after 86 minutes. Doumbia and Reboul are aiming to win their first tour-level title as a team this week in Italy and will next meet Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Dominic Thiem moved to within two wins of capturing his first tour-level title since 2020 on Friday when he moved past fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-3 at the Gijon Open.

The Austrian played with confidence throughout the one-hour, 34-minute clash in Spain, riffling his groundstrokes with heavy topspin and pace to advance to his second tour-level semi-final of the season. Thiem reached the last four on clay in Gstaad in July.

“From the first match on, I have felt great on this court,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “A lot of control. A super nice atmosphere and I have enjoyed playing a lot since Monday. I am super happy that I am still in the tournament at the weekend and I can play another match. It is very important for me as I am trying to climb up the rankings. The semi-finals at an ATP [Tour] event is helping a lot.”

Thiem, who moved past Joao Sousa and Marcos Giron in his opening two matches at the ATP 250 event, is up to No. 132 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his 14th tour-level win of the year. He will climb back into the Top 100 if he wins the title in Gijon.

The 29-year-old will be aiming to reach his first tour-level final since the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020 when he next plays Andrey Rublev or fifth seed Tommy Paul on Saturday. Thiem’s last tour-level title came at the US Open in September 2020.

Andres Molteni has won four ATP Tour titles alongside Santiago Gonzalez. This week, the Argentine is pursuing glory with another Gonzalez.

Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez defeated Portugal’s Francisco Cabral and former doubles World No. 1 Jamie Murray 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the Gijon Open. They will next play Serbian Nikola Cacic and Monagesque Hugo Nys, who upset second seeds Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2.

In other Gijon action, Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow eliminated third seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez 6-7(8), 6-4, 10-6.

Italians Thrill Home Fans In Florence
Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori earned the doubles upset of the day Thursday when they ousted second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-1, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the UniCredit Firenze Open.

Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin also advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-1 win against American Maxime Cressy and Australian John-Patrick Smith. Mahut and Roger-Vasselin are pursuing their eighth tour-level crown as a team this week.

With his back against the wall Thursday, Andy Murray showcased his trademark fighting spirit to reach the quarter-finals at the Gijon Open.

After losing a 56-minute first set, the former World No. 1 rallied to edge Argentine Pedro Cachin 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) at the ATP 250 event in Spain.

In their first ATP Head2Head meeting, the Scot raised his intensity and refused to go away, twice rallying from a break down in the third set to eventually seal his 25th tour-level win of the season after two hours and 49 minutes.

“I think I served well in the second and third sets. I fought very hard,” Murray said in his on-court interview. “In the first set I wasn’t playing my best and Pedro was serving very well for the first set and a half. I was really struggling to break serve. I changed the way I was returning to give myself more opportunities to break. I fought very hard to come back from a break down twice in the third set.”

Murray struck his flat groundstrokes consistently, hitting 31 winners and committing just 19 unforced errors, while he held his nerve in the third-set tie-break to advance to his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season.

The 35-year-old, currently No. 46 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is aiming to win his first tour-level title since he triumphed in Antwerp in 2019. Earlier this season, Murray reached finals on hard in Sydney and on grass in Stuttgart.

The 46-time tour-level titlist will next face third-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut or American Sebastian Korda.

Also on Thursday, top seed Andrey Rublev prevailed in a hard-hitting second-round clash against Ilya Ivashka. The 24-year-old clinched a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win as he began his bid for his fourth tour-level title of the season.

Rublev kept his composure after letting slip a 4-2 lead in the second set as both players played aggressively throughout the two-hour, 28-minute encounter. It was Rublev who found something extra in the decider, however, as he frequently hit through Ivashka with his powerful groundstrokes to improve to 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Rublev finished the match having hit 51 winners to Ivashka’s 13. The 11-time tour-level titlist is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and will be targeting a deep run in Gijon as he aims to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the third consecutive year. He will next meet fifth-seeded American Tommy Paul in Gijon.

In other action, fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo moved past French qualifier Manuel Guinard 7-6(5), 6-2 to earn his first tour-level win since July, when he advanced to the last four in Hamburg.

The Argentine, who lifted his maiden tour-level trophy in Bastad in July, will next play Austrian Dominic Thiem as a result of his one-hour, 48-minute victory.

Lorenzo Musetti put on a show for his home fans Thursday at the UniCredit Firenze Open, where the #NextGenATP Italian dispatched Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-0 with a scintillating opening display in Florence.

Musetti displayed confidence in all facets of his game in the second-round clash at the indoor ATP 250 event. The third seed delighted a vocal home crowd with an array of classy winners to close out victory against Zapata Miralles in just 69 minutes.

Musetti hit 21 winners to the Spaniard’s eight in the pair’s first tour-level meeting. With the win, the Italian is into his sixth tour-level quarter-final of the season and his third on indoor hard courts (after Rotterdam and Sofia). The 20-year-old, whose excellent season has also included his maiden ATP Tour title in Hamburg, has already qualified to compete at November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan for the second consecutive year.

Musetti will meet Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-finals in Florence after the American downed another #NextGenATP Italian, Francesco Passaro, 6-4, 7-5. The No. 79-ranked McDonald broke Passaro’s serve twice in each set to clinch a 95-minute win and reach his third tour-level quarter-final of the season.

Brandon Nakashima joined his countrymen McDonald and J.J. Wolf in the last eight with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Altug Celikbilek. The San Diego champion Nakashima will take on top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Oscar Otte next as he looks to join Musetti in reaching the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. The 21-year-old is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic started their title quest at the UniCredit Firenze Open in Florence with victory on Wednesday when they moved past Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 6-4, 6-2.

In a strong serving display, the second seeds saved the one break point they faced and won 97 per cent (30/31) of points behind their first deliveries to advance after 63 minutes. The Croatians have now won their past five matches after they clinched their fifth tour-level title of the season last week in Astana. Mektic and Pavic will play Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori in the quarter-finals.

Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul also advanced at the ATP 250 event in Italy, edging fourth seeds Matthew Ebden and John Peers 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.

Gille/Martin Upset Top Seeds Granollers/Zeballos In Gijon
Sander Gille and Fabrice Martin upset top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at Gijon Open.

In a hard-fought clash, the Belgian-French tandem raised their level at the end of both sets to earn victory after 90 minutes. Gille and Martin will next meet Sander Arends and David Pel after the Dutch team defeated Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez 6-1, 6-2.

Third seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Martin Landaluce 6-3, 6-3, while Nikola Cacic and Hugo Nys saved three match points to edge Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo 6-2, 6-7(9), 16-14 in one hour and 55 minutes.

Roberto Carballes Baena defied the powerful game of Matteo Berrettini to earn a shock first-round win Wednesday at the UniCredit Firenze Open, where the Spaniard rallied to a 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-5 victory.

The World No. 80 showcased incredible defence to frustrate the second seed throughout the pair’s three-hour, 19-minute clash, holding firm even when trailing by a break of serve in both the second and third sets. Carballes Baena converted all five break points he earned and reeled off five games in a row from 2-5 in the third set to silence a vocal home crowd in Florence.

“I’m very happy, it’s a very good win for me, the best of my career,” said Carballes Baena after clinching his third Top 20 triumph. “I just tried to win every point, to be focused every point, and tried to return the serve, because he served very well. I’m very happy because I am in the next round.”

A magic pass 🪄@Robertocarba93 #FirenzeOpen pic.twitter.com/8eyJ1paUfN

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 12, 2022

Berrettini had led 7-5, 2-0 before Carballes Baena rallied in impressive fashion to force a second-set tie-break and level the match. The Italian appeared to have finally cracked the Carballes Baena code after breaking in the sixth game of the decider, but the Spaniard’s late charge proved decisive.

“I tried to be aggressive with the second serve,” said Carballes Baena. “I tried to go to the net. I tried to be solid. I tried to play a great match, and I think I did.”

With the win, Carballes Baena advanced to his 15th ATP Tour quarter-final, but his first on a surface other than clay. He will meet Mikael Ymer in the quarter-finals in Florence after the Swedish qualifier downed fifth seed Aslan Karatsev 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-1.

Also on Wednesday, a dialled-in J.J. Wolf reached his second ATP Tour quarter-final by blunting the big-serving game of Maxime Cressy in a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Wolf showcased his volleying ability throughout the pair’s first tour-level meeting, winning 81 per cent (17/21) of points at the net en route to an 81-minute win. He will next meet seventh seed Alexander Bublik or Corentin Moutet.

In the sole remaining first-round match in Florence, Mackenzie McDonald delivered a confident third-set performance to complete a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 upset of sixth seed Jenson Brooksby. It was McDonald’s first victory in three meetings between the pair this season, and the World No. 79 now faces a second-round clash against #NextGenATP Italian Francesco Passaro.

Dominic Thiem was made to work hard on Wednesday at the Gijon Open, but he found a way to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event in Spain.

In a hard-fought clash, the Austrian battled past American Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 to advance to his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season after two hours and 27 minutes.

“It was a very intense match,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “Long, long rallies and lots of running. It was so close throughout the whole match until the third set. At the end of the second set, anything could have happened. I had to save a break point at 4-4 in the second set, if he makes it he is probably going to be the winner.

“It was so close the match, but luckily I was able to win that second set and then running away at the beginning of the third. I am really happy. It was so close, so intense. A great night.”

After a slow start, Thiem opened his shoulders to overpower Giron. He recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set, eventually forcing a decider when Giron struck a double fault on set point. The 29-year-old then raced through the third set to improve to 13-13 in tour-level matches in 2022.

Thiem, who downed Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-0 in his first-round match in Gijon, will next meet fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo or French qualifier Manuel Guinard.

In other action, fifth seed Tommy Paul moved past Spanish qualifier Nicolas Alvarez Varona 6-3, 7-6(3) in one hour and 53 minutes. The American, who is playing in his first tour-level event since the US Open, will next meet top seed Andrey Rublev or Ilya Ivashka.

Sebastian Korda ensured the United States tasted more success at the ATP 250 event on Wednesday when he defeated Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-1. The 22-year-old did not face a break point on serve, advancing to his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season after one hour and 31 minutes. Korda will next face third-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

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Second seed Pablo Carreno Busta made a strong start in Gijon, sweeping past Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 7-6(3) to earn his first match win since the US Open in September. The Spaniard, who captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Montreal in August, will next play Arthur Rinderknech after the Frenchman downed countryman Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-2.

Argentine Pedro Cachin also advanced, edging qualifier Alexey Vatutin 7-6(2), 6-0. He will next take on former World No. 1 Andy Murray.