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Romanian tennis player Nicholas David Ionel qualified, on Tuesday, for the round of 16 of the challenger tournament in Barletta (Italy), total prize pool 73,000 euros, while Filip Cristian Jianu got defeated in the first round.
Ionel (20 years old, 240th in the ATP ranking) defeated Italian Gabriele Piraino (19 years old, 503th in the ATP hierarchy), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in two hours and 40 minutes.
The Romanian won a cheque of 1,165 euros and 7 ATP points.
In the round of 16, Ionel will face the winner between Argentinian Mariano Navone and Austrian Filip Misolic, seed no. 2.
Jianu (21 years old, 289th in the ATP ranking) got defeated by Canadian Steven Diez (32 years old, ATP's 285), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, in two hours and 14 minutes of playing.
Filip Jianu won 720 euros for participation.
The two Romanians will also perform in the doubles competition of the same tournament: Filip Cristian Jianu will pair up with Serbian Miljan Zekic, and Nicholas David Ionel with Steven Diez.
