Sousa Qualifies After Stunning Comeback

© JLSEdouard Roger-Vasselin won through to the main draw on Monday.

World No. 490 Pedro Sousa has qualified for an ATP World Tour tournament for the first time in his career.

Sousa, who was granted a wild card into the Estoril Open in 2007, guaranteed a place in the main draw with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over World No. 116 Albert Ramos.

Ramos led 4-1 in the third set, but Sousa was buoyed onto victory in two hours and 16 minutes by a partisan crowd Centralito. Sousa saved eight of 12 break points in the final set that includes nine service breaks.

So far this year, Ramos had played in six main draws at ATP World Tour clay-court tournaments. He made second round exits at Santiago (l. to Fognini), Buenos Aires (l. to Robredo), Houston (l. to Fish) and Barcelona (l. to Giraldo). 

Sousa will play No. 8 seed and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the first round. 

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World No. 127 Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France passed a potential tricky test against former No. 37-ranked compatriot Marc Gicquel 6-3, 6-4 in 72 minutes.

Roger-Vasselin, the son of Christophe, a 1983 Roland Garros semi-finalist, has won through the qualifying competition of three other tournament this year. As a qualifier, he reached the Marseille (l. to Berdych) and Barcelona (l. to Davydenko) second rounds.

Roger-Vasselin will face Brazilian Marcos Daniel in the first round.

World No. 159 and Rome native Flavio Cipolla saved five of six break points and required 79 minutes to oust Spaniard Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-0, 6-3. He too has now qualified for four events in 2011.

Cipolla has been drawn to meet 2010 runner-up and Portuguese No. 1 Frederico Gil in the first round.

Dane Frederik Nielsen will challenge No. 6 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil in the first round proper after he knocked out Spaniard Daniel Munoz-de la Nava 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.