Andreev leads six qualifiers into main draw

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Qualifying top seed Adrian Andreev of Bulgaria led six players last night into the singles main draw of the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger 2024—an ATP Challenger Tour event being played at Public Security Officers Club in Gudaibiya.

Andreev punched his ticket to the tournament proper along with qualification’s second seed Cem Ilkel of Turkey, fifth seed Gastao Elias of Portugal, seventh seed Laurent Lokoli of France, 12th seed Viktor Durasovic of Norway, and alternate Peter Buldorini of Italy.

Andreev secured his place after defeating Mikalai Haliak of Belarus 6-1, 6-2.

He has now been paired up with Otto Virtanen of Finland in the main draw’s round of 32.

Ilkel advanced after winning against qualifying’s ninth seed Marat Sharipov of Russia, who retired after Ilkel took the first set 6-1, while Elias beat eighth seed Yanki Erel of Turkey 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 to go through.

Lokoli won against David Pichler of Austria after Pichler retired following Lokoli’s 7-5 first-set triumph.

Buldorini upset qualification’s fourth seed and countryman Salvatore Caruso 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (2) in their head-to-head, and then Durasovic made it to the main draw with a 7-6 (2), 6-3 triumph against sixth seed Ergi Kirkin of Turkey.

The top seed of the singles main draw is Christopher O’Connell of Australia, while the field also includes Bahraini wild card Yusuf Qaed, who will be taking on second-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini in their opening stage meeting.

Meanwhile, players participating in the tournament continued their preparations for matches continuing today.

Spaniard Daniel Rincon confirmed his readiness for his opening round affair, commenting: “I try to adapt to each tournament and its circumstances, and the opponent determines my strategy in the match. However, I try to keep my plan almost the same to avoid distraction.”

Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh expressed his delight in participating in the competition for the second time after finishing as the runner-up last year.

Slovakian Jozef Kovalik said he is completely focused on his first match and that he wishes all players success in the tournament.

He added that there is an enjoyable atmosphere in the Kingdom, which he described as beautiful and comfortable, while highlighting the warm reception and organisation of the tournament.