Fifteen Italians on the field, two former ATP top-20 players and some pop-corn first rounds. The eighteenth edition of the ASPRIA Tennis Cup – BCS Trophy (€73,000, clay) could not have looked better, kicking off on Sunday morning on the clay courts of the ASPRIA Harbor Club in Milan. The large number of Azzurri is striking, moreover with the hope that someone else will emerge from the qualifiers: it is proof of the vivacity of our movement, among expert players (the most “old” are Giannessi, Travaglia, Gaio and Bonadio) and – above all – many quality young people. Some derby in the first round was inevitable: eyes above all on Passaro-Gigante, both returning from the Wimbledon qualifiers. The Roman, among other things, has arrived one step away from the main draw. For the current finalist, therefore, a delicate commitment right from the outset. Then there are two other big matches, with the two stars of the tournament on the field: Cristian Garin (No. 2 on the draw, returning after a pectoral injury that kept him out for a few weeks) he made his debut against the rampant Luciano Darderi, born in 2002 and super eager to support the blue peers who are in front of him right now. There will then be a vintage-challenge between Pablo Cuevas and Stefano Travaglia, very experienced players with an important past, especially the Uruguayan (winner of six ATP tournaments). The draw is led by the Argentinian Facundo Diaz Acosta (n.114 ATP), opposed to the wild card Gianmarco Ferrari in the first round. Among the other first rounds to follow, we note the generational derby between Alessandro Giannessi (born in 1990) and Francesco Maestrelli (2002), and there is curiosity about the commitment of Edoardo Lavagno, fresh from the splendid final in Perugia, engaged against Belgian muscle Gauthier Onclin. Worth noting is the presence of the very young Lautaro Midon and Gonzalo Bueno, both born in 2004, admitted by virtue of the regulation which offers two places in the draw to the top-juniors of the previous year, to facilitate their entry into professionalism.
TWELVE ITALIANS IN THE QUALIFICATIONS
The main draw will start on Monday, but the qualifiers will start on Sunday morning: here too the Italian patrol, led by the expert Salvatore Caruso, is recovering after a not too simple period. The Sicilian will make his debut against the young Lorenzo Rottoli, while the most awaited match is the one between Carlos Taberner and Giovanni Oradini, without forgetting the presence of the eternal Andrea Arnaboldi (born in 1987) and Marius Copil. The former Romanian top 60, a tennis player with great class (he remembers a final in Basel against Roger Federer) will make his debut against Federico Iannaccone, fresh from the semifinal at the ITF tournament in Bergamo. Not only expert players: also the Taiwanese Chun-Hsin Tseng, former junior number 1 and winner of the Under 18 test at Wimbledon in 2018. Gifted with an intense and fast tennis, last year he had entered the ATP top-100 and had qualified for the Next Gen Finals in Milan. This year he is going through a crisis of results, but his tennis remains decidedly spectacular, like all the players involved in the ASPRIA Tennis Cup – BCS Trophy: as Potito Starace said a few years ago, speaking of the evolution of professionalism, “Everyone plays well by now”, as if to say that the difference between those who participate in the Challengers and those who attend the major circuit is really negligible, sometimes imperceptible. To the delight of the Milanese public, who will also be able to attend the matches free of charge until Thursday 6 July, while tickets and VIP Packs are available on the Ticketone circuit for the weekend.
ASPRIA Harbor Club
In 2009, the Harbor Club became part of the Aspria Collection which, with its clubs, spas and hotels, now serves over 35,000 members. Aspria is a prestigious and award-winning group that brings together the best private sports, wellness and family clubs, hotels and spa centers throughout Europe. The large “collection” extends between Brussels, Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover up to Milan; is characterized by a high quality offer, with personalized services to meet the needs of each member. Between 2001 and 2012 Aspria grew from one club (the opening of the Aspria club in Brussels dates back to June 2001) to eight (Aspria Uhlenhorst in Hamburg was inaugurated in March 2012), also incorporating the hotel offer in Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin and at Aspria Royal La Rasante in Brussels.
