Adrian Mannarino, former semi-finalist of Sofia Open, made a winning start at the Sofia Open 2023. He burst past Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6:4, 6:4 to reach the second round.
Although he is the second seed, the French started the week as the highest-ranked player in the Bulgarian capital. He advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals in 2020 and lost to the future champion Jannik Sinner 3:6, 5:7.
Mannarino started strong today and hit ten aces. He won 80% of his first serve points and even H2H with his opponent to 5-5.
„Since June, I play well. The first half of the season wasn’t so good, but now I am in better shape, and I feel motivated for bigger things for the next season. I don’t think I have made any changes. I am doing what I can. Everybody suffers injuries, this is part of the game”, Mannarino said after the match.
He added: “Definitely, I had interesting matches in Sofia, I reached quarter-final, semi-final. I played best during COVID, but we couldn’t leave the hotel. So, I have mixed feelings about the Sofia Open. The organization this year is great. They do their best for us to have all we need. Excellent conditions for an event of ATP250 Series”.
It was Manarino’s win #40 this season and #200 on hard court in his career.
Next, Mannarino will face Sebastian Offner in the Quarter-final. The Austrian had problems in the first set but won Christopher O’Connell form Australia 6:7(6), 6:4, 6:2.
