The Colombian tennis player Nicolás Mejía, currently the second racket in the country, won over the Argentine Alejo Lorenzo Lingua Lavallen with sets of 6-3 and 6-2 in the round of 16 of the Challenger Open Tour of Ibagué. With this victory he qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament that takes place at the Sports Park Racquet Complex.
Mejía, visibly satisfied with his performance, commented on the match: “I think it was a good match. I knew Lingua quite a few years ago. I had played with him a few years ago and he had beaten me. So I think I went in with a lot of concentration, with a clear plan to execute and luckily it worked out well and we were able to win the match.”
Regarding his performance in the tournament so far, the ‘cafetero’ tennis player expressed: «For now we are doing well. So the balance is good. I think being in the quarterfinals of a Challenger again is important. “I’m not going to say that it’s a bad week at all, but I think I give myself the opportunity to play one more game and I want to do the best job tomorrow to be able to continue advancing.”
The athlete also highlighted the importance of playing in his country: «I think playing in Colombia is a blessing. We don’t have that many tournaments. Little by little there are more tournaments. So it is important that Colombians do well here so that people come and support us.”
Regarding the conditions of the tournament, he added: “As I said yesterday, it was incredible to play with so many people. […] The courts are incredible. The complex, not only the tennis complex, but the Coliseum, the entire sports complex they have here in Ibagué is first class. […] Congratulate the city because they have an impressive complex, that they take care of it and that obviously the politicians continue to take care of this and can continue supporting sport, which is very important.
With this victory, the second national ‘requeta’ is positioned as a strong contender to advance even further in the tournament, and hopes to count on the support of the local public in its next matches.
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