ECU F1 - Emilio Gomez (champion) with his father Andres Gomez
Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, located on the western bank of the Guyas River, last week played host to the first of a series of three Futures tournaments on the ITF Men’s Circuit.
Local resident, Emilio Gomez, who conceded just one set all week, won the singles title. Playing in his debut final on the ITF Pro Circuit, Emilio, son of former ATP World No. 4 and 1990 Roland Garros singles champion, Andres Gomez, took the title with a convincing 63 62 victory over qualifier Gonzalo Escobar.
Emilio still has some way to go if he is to emulate his father’s achievements – 21 singles titles, 33 doubles titles and 37 Davis Cup ties - but at just 17-years old, time is definitely on his side.
In the doubles event, the Ecuadorian pairing of Julio-Cesar Campozano and Walter Valarezo, seeded 2, won a thrilling final 67(6) 64 [10-5] against No. 3 seeds Federico Cavallero (ARG) and Borja Malo-Casado (CHI).
This tournament also marked the first occasion that all four singles semi finalists at a Futures tournament came from Ecuador.