At the same time, Marco Trungelliti proved to be too big of an obstacle for Franko Škugor at the start of this year’s tournament’s singles competition.
- I am pleased with my game today, especially in the first set as I controlled his most powerful weapons, his serve and forehand. I have no regrets, except for maybe that moment in the second set, at 5:5, when I was up 30:0 and then lost my serve - said Serdarušić after losing 3:6, 7:5, 6:3.
- In the end I was a bit tired, which is normal, I guess, as I am not used to playing such intense matches.
This season, Serdarušić won three Futures events, played in two more Futures finals and in a Challenger final in Ostrava. The organizers made a logical decision to give the invitation to the ATP tournament in Umag to this young tennis player, thus providing him with an opportunity to advance further.
- Being here is nice. I trained here for a few days with Goran Ivanišević, who gave me some useful advice. ATP-level matches against strong opponents, such as this one, are good for me as my tennis will keep improving that way. The only thing left for me to do now is try and get into the main draw of the US Open. I would also like to enter the top 150 in the world by year-end.
Nino grew up in Umag but moved to Zagreb because of his tennis ambitions. Also, his tennis career is now a family affair as his brothers Tomislav and Filip are also his coaches at the moment.
- It was great playing here in Umag as I’ve seen some familiar faces from my childhood in the stands.
Trungelliti, the Argentinian who had shocked Marin Čilić at Roland Garros two years ago, played quite well and controlled the match against the Šibenik native Škugor, eventually defeating him in just two sets, 6:3, 6:4.
The Argentinian asserted himself early in the match, breaking Škugor in the second game and going on to win that first set. The second set went even quicker: Trungelliti secured his lead in the first game and then confirmed it by breaking Škugor again for a 4:1 lead. Franko managed to win back one game and keep his hopes up for a little while, but ultimately failed to turn the match over.
Next, Trungelliti will play against Hungary’s Fucsovics, while Škugor and his doubles partner Dominic Inglot have high hopes for the doubles competition. As the Wimbledon semifinalists, they are the top-seeded pair here in Umag.
Aljaž Bedene defeated Joao Sousa in what was perhaps the best match of the day, advancing to the second round on his 29th birthday. His next opponent is Guido Pella.
