Abidjan, top players make winning debut in Ivory Coast. Quarter-finals scheduled today

The stars of padel made their main draw debut yesterday at the FIP Gold in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, with both the round of 32 and 16 taking place. Top seeds Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini defeated Luis Ortega and Fakhry Wael 6-4 6-4 and will face Fran Ramirez and Fakih Najib in the quarter-finals. Juan Tello and Maxi Arce also lived up to expectations, defeating French player Joris Zumelzu and Hallak Hussein 6-1 6-1. The two Argentinians will next take on the Dutch pair Julian Prins and Youp De Kroon. Also in the spotlight will be the quarter-final between Tonet Sans-Gustavo Nunes and Dylan Guichard-Clement Geens for a place in the semi-finals. Completing the quarter-final line-up is the match between Javi Barahona and Gonza Alfonso, who defeated Karlos Rodriguez and Amir Mohmad Jamshidi 6-1 6-4, and Pau Miñano and Boris Castro.

 

WOMEN While the top men’s pairs have already experienced the courts in Abidjan, the top four pairs in the women’s draw will make their debut today. Top seeds Noa Canovas and Laia Rodriguez will face Costança Gorito and Steffi Merah, while second seeds Araceli Martinez and Laura Lujan will take on Mafalda Marques and Carla Rodriguez Sanchez. The most anticipated match of the day will see Raquel Piltcher and Christina-Styliani Ntanou face Ana Varo-Marcella Koek, with both pairs among the contenders for the title at this CUPRA FIP Tour event. The latter booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 6-0 6-0 victory over Kinda Omeis and Lara Salloub. After a convincing win over Fatima Ezzeddine and Jihane Assaf, Tunisian wild cards Dora Chamli and Nour Allani will attempt an upset against the No.3 seeds, Julia Polo and Marina Lobo.