The final draw of the ITF J300 VILLENA – Eduardo Ferrero Memorial kicked off this Monday with a very high level of play. The competition among the title contenders was fierce, resulting in many matches lasting close to, if not exceeding, four hours.

The matches featuring young Spanish players Dario Ruiz and Ian Barroeta were particularly noteworthy. Both players, who turn 16 this year, competed in the draw by invitation from the Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy, where they train and where, as has been the case for the past twenty-five years, the tournament is held. The two young tennis players did not waste this opportunity and each earned points that will significantly boost their international junior rankings. Barroeta defeated Thomas Miranda (a Brazilian and also a player at the Ferrero Academy) 7-6(5), 0-6, 7-6(3). Similarly, his teammate Dario defeated the world No. 102 in the under-18 rankings 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4.

More good news for Spanish men’s tennis came from the victories of several other representatives of the junior national team: Maxi Carrascosa, Max Villar, Alberto Pulido, Jaume Casas, Alejandro Hernández, and Roberto Pérez. Thus, Spain will have a strong showing in the second round of the tournament.

The country will be less represented in the women’s draw, where there have also been long, close matches, but they haven’t gone as well for the Spanish players. Only Gabriela Paun managed to defeat her opponent. She did so with a decisive 6-2, 6-0 victory over the foreign player and world No. 140 junior Kseniia Ruchkina. Gabriela, along with the top seed and third favorite to win the title, Paola Pinera, will be the only Spanish representatives in the next round.

On Tuesday, the top tournament favorites will make their debut, with Germany’s Mariella Thamm and the Czech Republic’s Tereza Hermanova leading the women’s draw; and France’s Mathys Domenc and Bulgaria’s Dimitar Kisimov as the top seeds in the men’s draw.

The tournament is open to the public and will run all week through Saturday, March 21. A unique opportunity to get a glimpse of the future of tennis and see the state of Spanish tennis.