Day3. Martinez-Lujan, victory and emotion. ‘Chingalan’ through in three sets, round of 16 on Thursday

At La Fonteta, it was a day of marathon matches. Tight contests and closely fought encounters marked the day that determined the pairs advancing to Thursday’s round of 16 of Valencia P1, when the top four seeds in the women’s draw will make their debut. There was great emotion for Araceli Martinez and Laura Lujan, who came from a set down to defeat Nuria Rodriguez and Giulia Dal Pozzo, fresh from their semi-final run at the Rome Major, 2-6 7-5 6-4. Martinez and Lujan will face fourth seeds Claudia Fernandez and Sofia Araujo; meanwhile, following their triumph at the Foro Italico, Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay will open play on Centre Court at 10 a.m. against qualifiers Barbara Las Heras and Carla Mesa. Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez (2) will take on Marta Barrera and Jimena Velasco, while Carolina Orsi and Patty Llaguno will be the opponents of Ari Sanchez and Andrea Ustero (3).

 

MEN The finalists from the Rome men’s tournament also made their debut on Wednesday. Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia defeated Luis Hernandez and Lucho Capra 7-5 6-4, while Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan achieved the same result, although they were pushed to a third set by Curro Cabeza and Mariano Gonzalez (6-4 6-7 6-2). In the round of 16, the world No. 1 pair will face Juanlu Esbri and Alex Ruiz; the No. 2 seeds, meanwhile, will meet Alex Chozas and Tino Libaak, who advanced following the retirement of Rome semi-finalists Momo Gonzalez and Lucas Campagnolo. After their 6-4 7-6 win over Manuel Castaño and Xisco Gil, Juan Lebron and Leo Augsburger will face José Diestro and Nacho Piotto, who came back to defeat Valencia native Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi 3-6 6-4 7-5.