The 2017 Ecuador Open gives South American players, and more specifically clay-court specialists, a chance to get some match play, rankings points and cash early in the season. Hard-courters and Europeans are playing indoors in Europe, so this is where another subsection of the ATP World Tour is convening before other South American events continue through the month of February.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, February 6.
Event Details
Event: Ecuador Open Quito
Category: ATP 250 Series
Date: February 6-12, 2017
Location: Club Jacaranda – Quito, Ecuador
The 2017 Ecuador Open isn’t a prize bonanza, but with an allotment of $482,000, this is an entirely acceptable purse for clay-court players trying to dig out a living on tour. It is their opportunity to play on a comfortable surface and spend the month of February moving up the ladder to the extent that they can. This is the beauty of having multiple tournaments during the same week. Players who specialize on different surfaces both have a chance to make money and advance their careers. When events are on the same surface, it’s counterproductive, but split-surface weeks of tennis add variety to the sport and truly open doors for more professionals to make a living at this endeavor.
The Ecuador Open holds the honor of being the first clay court tournament of the season. It also marks the beginning of the “Golden Swing,” with 250 and 500 pointers taking place in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo in the coming weeks.
Points
Champion – 250
Runner-up – 150
Semifinal – 90
Quarterfinal – 45
Former Champions and Results
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016: Victor Estrella Burgos def. Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2
2015: Victor Estrella Burgos def. Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-7(5-7), 7-6(5)
Player Info:
The Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, who won the inaugural event in 2015 and successfully defended his crown last year, returns to Quito, his favorite hunting ground, in hope of a three-peat. Apart from him, there are host of South Americans in the draw.
For a 37-year old, Ivo Karlovic had a more than decent outing in Australia, where he reached round three by winning a marathon battle against Horacio Zeballos. He is not a clay-court demon by any means, but it doesn’t mean his serve gets any easier to return.
The Spaniards thrive on clay and Albert Ramos-Vinolas is no different. Ramos-Vinolas is the second seed and arguably the best clay courter in the draw. He has every right to believe he can go all the way.
If only talent could win titles, Alexandr Dolgopolov would be right up there with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. The harsh reality is he has only 2 ATP titles to his name and time is running out to make the kind of impact many thought he would make. Dolgopolov should be ranked way higher than his current ranking suggests, but his careless and thoughtless displays on court have sabotaged his career. He is always a threat but remains highly unreliable.
From struggling to win a tennis match to being a consistent top-50 player. Paulo Lorenzi has come a long way. Lorenzi made a major breakthrough last season, winning his maiden ATP title. The Italian plays his best tennis on clay and although he is 35 years old, he can cause problems.
Last year, Thomaz Bellucci got into a winning position against Estrella Burgos in the final but couldn’t get the job done. In 2017, he comes to Quito after a straight-set loss to Bernard Tomic in the opening round of the Australian Open. The form isn’t good but he is a capable clay courter who can hit through the defenses of anybody and win the title.
Club Jacaranda
A country club founded in 1970, this is the Quito-based host of the Ecuador Open, with a spacious stadium court in a larger complex of outdoor red clay courts. Expect the audience to give the South American players a big boost. Whenever any of them set their foot on the court, they typically get the support of the crowd. Also, look for the Spaniards to get lots of love from the crowds as they make their way through the tournament.
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