Wildcard Elias Ymer speaks on facing Joao Sousa in Bastad

Rising Swedish star Elias Ymer admits he is well aware that it will be all but easy when he meets Portugal's Joao Sousa in the Bastad round-of-16. Wildcard Ymer survived a tough first round clash against Thiago Montero od Brazil as he claimed a 6-3 2-6 7-5 win.

World No. 116 Ymer showed good mental strength as, after losing the second set, he fell 3-1 down in the decider but kept fighting and eventually staged a comeback. On the other side, No. 8 seed Sousa earned a straight-set win over Jozef Kovalik 7-6 (3) 6-4.

Ymer, 23, will be hoping to clinch his maiden win over Sousa when they meet on Thursday. The 30-year-old Portuguese leads the head-to-head against the Swede 2-0. “It’s like playing a pitbull. He has beaten me three times.

I will give it all and fight for every point," Ymer told TT Nyhetsbyran, as revealed by Alex Theodoridis on Twitter. Sousa claimed two straight-set wins over Ymer as he beat the Swede in the Bastad round-of-16 five years ago before and the Davis Cup last year respectively.