Estrella extends Quito winning streak

[February 06, 2018]  Three-time defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos, the only seeded player in action Monday at the Ecuador Open, started slowly but prevailed in his first-round match at Quito.

Estrella, a 37-year-old Dominican Republic native who is seeded sixth, rallied past Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

In his lengthy career, Estrella has only three ATP Tour titles -- all on the clay at Quito the past three years. However, his streak appeared to be in jeopardy when he dropped serve three times while losing the first set to Bellucci.

Estrella never lost serve again, and he recorded one break late in the second set and two breaks in the third to win in 1 hour, 57 minutes.

In other first-round action Monday, qualifier Andrej Martin of Slovakia beat Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva 7-5, 6-4 to earn a match against top-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.

 

Norway's Casper Ruud routed Argentina's Carlos Berlocq to set up a date with third-seeded Gael Monfils of France.

Wild-card entrant Corentin Moutet topped Spain's Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2, and Italy's Stefano Travaglia eliminated Spain's Pablo Andujar 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.

The tournament's top four seeds -- Carreno, No. 2 Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain, Monfils and No. 4 Paolo Lorenzi of Italy -- all received first-round byes.

--Field Level Media

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