Libaak and Alfonso Stun Lyon Champions Leal and Guerrero in Rotterdam

Tino Libaak and Gonza Alfonso pulled off the biggest upset of the Rotterdam P2 so far, beating seventh-seeded Javi Leal and Fran Guerrero 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the round of 16 at Rotterdam Ahoy.

A statement in three sets

Leal and Guerrero arrived in the Netherlands fresh off winning the FIP Platinum title in Lyon, and for a set it looked like that form would carry over. Libaak and Alfonso grabbed the opener 7-5, lost their grip in the second as Leal and Guerrero leveled it 6-3, then dug in when it mattered. The Argentines closed out the decider 6-4 after two hours and 19 minutes on court, one of the longest and most competitive matches of the round.

Reward: a date with Tapia and Coello

The win sends Libaak and Alfonso into the quarterfinals against top seeds and defending Rotterdam champions Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello, who cruised past Alvaro Montiel and Daniel Santigosa 6-3, 6-2 in their own round of 16 match. It is a brutal draw for the Argentines, but beating the fresh Lyon champions this close to the world championship picks in Qatar is the kind of result that gets noticed.

What's next

Libaak and Alfonso face Tapia and Coello in Friday's quarterfinals at Rotterdam Ahoy. The rest of the men's draw still has Di Nenno/Navarro, Augsburger/Lebron and Galan/Chingotto alive heading into the final eight.