Spanish tennis continues to produce standout names at the Masters 1000 in Rome, and this Saturday it was the turn of Pablo Llamas and Martín Landaluce. Llamas reached the third round after a marathon, tension-filled victory over Frenchman Corentin Moutet, while Landaluce defeated Marin Cilic.
The player from Jerez de la Frontera needed over three hours to secure a hard-fought win in a physical and fluctuating match, played in an electric atmosphere with the crowd fully engaged. Both players pushed each other to the limit from the baseline, engaging in numerous long rallies and constant attrition. The most delicate moment came in the third set when Moutet fell while leading 3-2, injuring his wrist. The Frenchman received medical attention and even considered retiring with his team, but ultimately decided to continue despite obvious pain.
The decisive tiebreak was a battle of nerves, where Llamas showed remarkable mental strength to seal the biggest win of his career in a Masters 1000 main draw. The 23-year-old, ranked 139th, had already impressed this week by qualifying and securing his first main-draw victory at this level. Now he takes another step forward in Rome, confirming his growth over recent months.
His next challenge will be extremely demanding: he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who advanced directly to the third round after Tomas Machac withdrew due to illness.
**LANDALUCE OVERCOMES CILIC WITHOUT ISSUES**
Meanwhile, Martín Landaluce also booked his place in the round of 32 on Saturday by defeating veteran Croatian Marin Cilic. The Spaniard showed great composure and aggressive tennis to overcome the 2014 US Open champion in a solid performance that lasted just over two hours across two sets.
The victory is even more remarkable given the context of Landaluce’s entry into the main draw. The Madrid native had lost in qualifying to Italian Andrea Pellegrino and seemed set to miss the tournament, but he entered as a lucky loser after Monégasque Valentin Vacherot withdrew. Far from wasting the opportunity, Landaluce again demonstrated why he is considered one of Spain’s brightest young talents. Trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, the 2006-born player is enjoying the best phase of his budding career.
In March, he made a strong statement by reaching the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 in Miami, becoming the first player born in 2006 or later to go that deep in a tournament of this caliber. This season, he also broke into the ATP top 100 for the first time, cementing a rapidly accelerating progression.
Now, Landaluce will look to continue his run in Rome against the winner of the match between Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Mattia Bellucci.
