Day1. Great comeback from Rubini and Chozas. Abbate and Dal Bianco earn a clash with Coello and Tapia

The opening day of the Major in Kuwait delivered plenty of excitement, with several matches decided in three sets shaping the schedule for the second round. The first opponents for Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, winners of the last four tournaments in Paris, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf and Milan, will be Italy’s Flavio Abbate and Argentina’s Franco Dal Bianco. Abbate, who has been called up for next week’s FIP World Cup in Doha, had already faced Coello and Tapia at the Major in Rome, at the Foro Italico. His 6-3 6-1 victory over Rama Valenzuela and Xisco Gil has earned him another meeting with the world number ones. Among the matches decided in three sets, the comeback by Juani Rubini and Alex Chozas stood out. After losing the opening set 6-1 to David Gala and Enzo Jensen, the two Argentinians turned the match around to win 1-6 7-6 6-4.

 

There were further comeback victories for Ortega/Axelsson (4-6 7-6 6-3 against Gutierrez/Sanchez Blasco), Solano Marmolejo/Pereyra (6-7 6-4 6-4 against Barahona/Piotto), Fernandez/Diestro (4-6 6-0 6-3 against Rodriguez/Garcia) and Belluati/Abud (3-6 6-2 7-5 against Martinez/Hernandez). On Monday, play will begin at 12:00 local time (10:00 CET), with the top seeds making their first appearances. On Centre Court, Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz (4) will open the programme against Fernandez/Diestro, aiming to make a deep run, particularly following the withdrawal of Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan due to a physical issue affecting the Spaniard. The women’s draw will also get under way on Monday, with the top four seeds making their debuts in the round of 16 on Wednesday.