Estrella Burgos Set For Title Defence

Victor Estrella Burgos is a win away from successfully defending his Quito title. The 2015 champion advanced to his second ATP World Tour final after dismissing Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 7-6(5) in 84 minutes. The 35 year-old, who won his first ATP World Tour title in Quito 12 months ago, only dropped three points on his first serve (27/30) and closed out the win on his first match point.

Estrella Burgos started the year with opening-round losses in Auckland and at the Australian Open, but found his rhythm on familiar grounds, improving to 9-0 in Quito. He is undefeated against his final opponent Thomaz Bellucci, winning 7-6(5), 7-5 in last year’s Quito semi-final and prevailing in their lone ATP Challenger Tour meeting (Bogota 2013).

“I’ve been feeling very well in Quito,” Estrella Burgos said. “The altitude and surface benefits me. I’m happy to have qualified to the final and I’ll try to win the title again. In these circumstances I will always feel like the favourite.

 

“Thomaz is a strong opponent, but not impossible to beat. He has good serve and good forehand. It will be an intense match because we are both warriors and we will give our best. I’ll have to serve well and take control with my forehand if I want to win. If I do that, I can beat anyone.” 

In the other semi-final, third seed Bellucci improved his record at the Ecuador Open Quito to 6-1 with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Pablo Lorenzi in the first semi-final on Saturday. The 28-year-old will play for his fifth ATP World Tour title on Sunday against Estrella Burgos in a rematch of last year’s semi-final match, which Estrella Burgos won 7-6(5), 7-5.

Bellucci came into the match trailing Lorenzi 0-2 in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. He dropped serve twice to fall behind one set to love, but saved the next three break points faced and fought back to capture his first tour-level win against Lorenzi in just under two hours.

The No. 35 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is through to his seventh tour-level final (4-2). His last title came in May 2015 on the clay of Geneva (d. Cuevas). The Brazilian finished runner-up in the doubles draw alongside Marcelo Demoliner after losing to Pablo Carreno-Busta and Guillermo Duran in the final.