Photo Daniele Combi
GREAT TENNIS RETURNS TO THE CANARY ISLANDS
HALYS AND COBOLLI LEAD THE FIRST ENTRY LIST
TWO CHAMPIONS OF THE NEXT GEN FINALS AT THE START
Tenerife, 26 December 2023 – The Tenerife Challenger 1 entry list is official. After the success of last season, the ATP Challenger circuit returns to the hard courts of the Abama Tennis Academy with the three tournaments organized by MEF Tennis Events. The first ATP Challenger 100, scheduled from 14 to 21 January 2024, will be followed by two ATP Challenger 75s (from 18 to 25 February and from 26 February to 3 March 2024). The Frenchman Quentin Halys, former number 61 in the world rankings, leads the seeding in which the Italians Flavio Cobolli and Raul Brancaccio are present. Spain will be the protagonist with three hosts: Pedro Martinez, Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Daniel Rincon. There is a lot of curiosity about the Jordanian talent of the Rafa Nadal Academy Abdullah Shelbayh, as well as the winners of the 2022 and 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals, Brandon Nakashima and Hamad Medjedovic respectively. The return of professionals to Tenerife coincides with the restyling of the Abama Tennis Academy; the Abama Resort has in fact completed the construction of a new covered area near the central court and a restaurant dedicated to the players (Restaurante Tágara) just before the entrance to the courts. An important investment to increasingly welcome athletes, tourists and enthusiasts.
Cobolli among the favorites on the island, for Brancaccio it’s like home – Exactly one year after his participation in the Tenerife Challenger, Flavio Cobolli returns to the Canary island with a different awareness. The Roman tennis player, current ATP number 101, comes from an important season which saw him enter the top 100, reaching the best ranking of 95 in the world, but also playing two Challenger finals (winning the second trophy of the circuit in Lisbon cadet). Between April and June 2023 he first reached the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 in Munich, then the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome and Roland Garros. Precisely in France he faced the former world number one Carlos Alcaraz, coming out defeated inside the prestigious Philippe Chatrier. For Raul Brancaccio it will almost be a home tournament. The tennis player from Torre del Greco has an important connection with Spain (he lives in Valencia and trains at the GTennis Academy) and will try to exploit the public’s sympathy to repeat the Tenerife Challenger 2 final reached in 2023. There is great curiosity for the performances of Abdullah Shelbayh, Brandon Nakashima and Hamad Medjedovic. The Jordanian was the protagonist of an excellent 2023 which saw him participate in the Next Gen ATP Finals and win a Challenger tournament in Charleston, gaining over 250 positions in the rankings. Current number 195 in the world, the point in common between Shelbayh and Spain is the Rafa Nadal Academy, a fixed base for his training. The last two winners of the Next Gen ATP Finals will also take to the court on the hard courts of the Abama Tennis Academy: the American Nakashima, champion of 2022, currently number 134 in the world, and the Serbian born in 2003, Medjedovic, protagonist of a 2023 studded with three Challenger titles and the triumph in the event dedicated to the best under 21s in the world.
Marchesini inaugurates 2024: “A joy to start again in Tenerife” – The President of MEF Tennis Events, Marcello Marchesini, can’t wait to start a new season: “For us it is always a joy to accompany the start of a new season with three tournaments in Tenerife, just like what happened last season. The events consolidate our relationship with the island and are an opportunity to see champions and promising young players up close.” The bond between MEF Tennis Events and the Abama Tennis Academy is increasingly strong. The constant organization of important events has favored further improvements for the areas adjacent to the fields of a club that is even better equipped this year: “We are very happy with the collaboration with Abama, which for 2024 has increased the services within its club. This year there will be a covered restaurant dedicated to the players (Restaurante Tágara), as well as a new covered area behind the center court. The environment will also be more comfortable for the many fans and tourists who will come to experience these three weeks of great tennis.”