After he missed two match points on his return at 5-3 and failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, Italian Cecchinato did well to defeat Bagnis in straight sets.
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Three Argentines lost in the opening round of the Cordoba Open on the stadium court of the ATP 250, which was played on Wednesday. After qualifier Hugo Dellien defeated fifth seed Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-4, and Marco Cecchinato defeated Facundo Bagnis 6-2, 7-6(4), Joao Sousa defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening match of the day. Sebastian Baez, the fourth seed, saved the day for the Argentine fans by defeating Italian qualifier Luciano Darderi in the second round by scores of 6-3, 6-4 to end the evening’s matches. It was the 2023 season’s opening victory for the World No. 47.
After he missed two match points on his return at 5-3 and failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, Italian Cecchinato did well to defeat Bagnis in straight sets. The former World No. 16 jumped out to a quick 5/0 lead in the tie-break before clinching his second tour-level victory of the year to advance to the second round. “I started the match very well on my serve. At the end I [felt] a little bit of tension because it’s the first [clay] match of the year,” said Cecchinato, who was broken just once. “I need the confidence during the match and I need the feeling on red clay. It’s the first match after so many months on the red clay. In the end I’m very happy for this victory.”
The 30-year-old will play sixth-seeded Federico Coria in the second round after the Argentine defeated Thiago Monteiro on Tuesday with scores of 6-7(5), 6-1, and 6-2. In addition to their sole previous encounter, which Coria won in three sets in Bastad in 2021, the two have also faced off three times on the ATP Challenger Tour, with Coria coming out on top each time. “I know Coria,” said Cecchinato. “We’ve played so many times, so for sure it will be a tough match.”
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Cecchinato’s impressive victory over Bagnis
