Ecuador Open is a professional men’s tennis tournament played in the Quito, the scenic capital of Ecuador. The tournament is a part of the ATP World Tour 250 series and marks the beginning of the clay season on the men’s circuit. Get the latest Ecuador Open tips, predictions & odds for the next edition below.
Also called ATP Quito, it’s also one of the tournaments on the Golden Swing circuit – a series of four events played across the South America, in Brazil and Argentina. ATP Quito is quite a challenging tournament in terms of physical fitness.
Quito is located at quite a high altitude – twice as much as the cities in Alps. As a result, the players here must adapt to thinner air which is quite a challenge in itself. Nonetheless, it truly is an experience to watch the tennis players battling it out on clay surface under such harsh conditions.
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The 2018 Ecuador Open will be played from February 3rd, while the main draw kick starts from February 5th. The tournament will be played at Club Jacaranda, Cumbaya in Quito.
One interesting fact about this tournament is ever since its inception in 2015, only one player has won here. Victor Estrella Burgos of Dominican Republic may not have achieved much on the ATP Tour, but Ecuador Open is one of the few events out there where he has proven his ability and love for the sport. In 2015, he won the maiden edition of the tournament, which co-incidentally, was his first title. That feat made him the oldest player in the Open Era to win an ATP event for the first time. Back then, he defeated Feliciano Lopez of Spain in three sets (two of which were tie-breakers).
He returned in the 2016 edition, wherein he successfully defended his title – this time by defeating the Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in the final. It was a deja-vu of sorts for the then 35-year-old, who found himself in a gruelling three-setter yet again.
But against all odds, he sailed to the victory and lifted his second singles title. In 2017, when Estrella Burgoes went to Quito, he found himself in quite a situation when he went against the big server Ivo Karlovic. It was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining men’s matches on the tour that season, seeing how all the three sets went to tie-breakers. Victor won the match in a little over two hours with 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 7-6(8), whilst surviving no less than 39 aces!
Thereafter, he didn’t face any major difficulties up until the final, where he met the Italian Paolo Lorenzi. Once again, the match extended to three sets, two of which ended in tie-breakers. Needless to mention, the Dominicano won the tournament for the third time in his career.
Over the years, many players came to Quito to test their skills, but so far only Estrella Burgos has managed to survive time and gain. To watch a man in his late thirties, battling the thin air of Quito on what is quite possibly the trickiest surface to play on and win, thrice, is truly a memorable feat.
He usually spends most of his time playing on the challenger circuit, except for a couple of stints on the ATP Tour. While his record isn’t particularly impressive, there is something about Quito which brings out the best in him.
It hasn’t been confirmed if he will be participating in the 2018 Ecuador Open, but if he does, then he is undoubtedly going to be the player to beat.
Latest Ecuador Open Tips & Predictions will be updated below.