Romanian tennis player Nicholas David Ionel advanced on Tuesday to the round of 16 of the ATP Challenger tournament in Cordenons (Italy), featuring 73,000 US dollars in prize money, after passing on Tuesday Italian Giovanni Fonio 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, write Agerpres.

Fifth seeded Nicholas David Ionel (aged 20, 208th in the ATP rankings) needed almost three hours of play (2 h 50 min) to secure the victory. Fonio (aged 25, ATP No. 323) managed 8 aces, but also made 4 double faults, while Ionel finished with 5 aces and 3 double faults. The Romanian secured a cheque for 1,165 euros and 7 ATP points. In the round of 16, Ionel will play Spaniard Carlos Sanchez Jover (23, ATP No. 368). The two have faced each other only once so far, in the first round of the 2022 Monastir tournament (Tunisia), when the Romanian scored a 6-3, 6-4 win.