Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100 left without seeds in the singles semi-finals
A wind-affected fourth day of play, featuring a demanding double session in the singles draw, clears out the tournament favourites and highlights the strong competitive level of qualifiers and alternates in Ciutadella.
Day four of the II Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100 delivers one of the most unexpected sequences of the tournament so far. With both the Round of 16 and quarter-finals in singles, alongside the doubles quarter-finals, the draw opens up completely ahead of Saturday 4 April, setting up unprecedented semi-finals in the singles event and a highly competitive doubles line-up.
Friday’s action at Club Tenis Ciutadella forces many singles players to compete twice in the same day. In windy, cold and demanding conditions, the top seeds fall one after another, leaving the singles draw without a single seeded player.
Few would have predicted at the start of the tournament that the semi-finals would feature the following match-ups:
• [Q] Alex Martínez (ESP) 412 vs Daniel Rincón (ESP) 303
• [Q7] Dali Blanch (USA) 434 vs [Alt] Raul Brancaccio (ITA) 348
Singles Round of 16: favourites fall
The first major storyline of the day unfolds in the Round of 16, where nearly all the leading names exit the tournament.
Daniel Rincón opens the day on Estrella Damm Court 2 with a hard-fought win over Miguel Damas, 6-2/4-6/6-2 in 2 hours 27 minutes. In an intense all-Spanish contest, he makes the difference on return, converting 8 of 14 break points and winning 101 of 183 total points, alongside 34 winners to his opponent’s 17.
On Joma Court 3, Pol Martín Tiffon delivers a solid performance to defeat eighth seed Ivan Gakhov 6-1/7-5 in 1 hour 17 minutes.
Sergio Callejón Hernando also advances convincingly, beating Andrew Paulson 6-2/6-1 in just 57 minutes on Led Projects Court 4.
The biggest upset of the morning comes on Centre Court, where Alex Martínez knocks out top seed Valentin Royer 6-7(6)/6-4/6-3 in 2 hours 43 minutes. The Spaniard, coming through qualifying, shows resilience after losing the first set, finishing with 71% first serves, 40 winners and 113 of 214 points won.
The surprises continue with Raul Brancaccio, an alternate in the draw, who defeats Matteo Martineau 6-0/5-7/6-1 in 1 hour 57 minutes.
Next, Dali Blanch eliminates seventh seed Alejandro Moro Cañas 7-6(2)/6-2 in 1 hour 37 minutes.
Wild card Alejo Sánchez Quílez joins the wave of upsets with a 6-0/7-5 win over fifth seed Justin Engel in 1 hour 13 minutes.
The second major shock of the round comes later on Centre Court, where alternate Jonas Forejtek defeats third seed Roberto Carballés Baena 2-6/6-1/6-3 in 1 hour 41 minutes.
Singles quarter-finals: an unexpected line-up
With the draw already shaken, the quarter-finals confirm a complete shift in the tournament narrative.
Alex Martínez continues his impressive run, defeating Pol Martín Tiffon 7-6(5)/6-1 in 1 hour 24 minutes.
In the other top-half match, Daniel Rincón overcomes Sergio Callejón Hernando 3-6/6-2/7-5 in 2 hours 46 minutes.
In the bottom half, Raul Brancaccio produces another comeback, beating Alejo Sánchez Quílez 1-6/6-1/6-3 in 1 hour 41 minutes.
The final semi-final spot goes to Dali Blanch, who defeats Jonas Forejtek 6-2/6-3 in 1 hour 6 minutes.
Saturday’s semi-finals reflect the extraordinary nature of the day:
Alex Martínez (ESP) vs Daniel Rincón (ESP)
Dali Blanch (USA) vs Raul Brancaccio (ITA)
Doubles quarter-finals: semi-finalists confirmed
The day also finalises the doubles semi-final line-up, set to be played on Saturday morning.
On Estrella Damm Court 2, Siddhant Banthia / Alexander Donski defeat David Vega Hernández and Benjamin Winter López 6-2/4-6/10-7.
On Led Projects Court 4, Denys Molchanov / Seita Watanabe eliminate the fourth seeds 6-4/4-6/10-3.
Also advancing are Edas Butvilas / Tiago Pereira, who beat Zdenek Kolar and Sergio Martos Gornés 7-6(0)/7-6(4).
The final spot goes to Pruchya Isaro / Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha, winners 6-3/6-3.
The doubles semi-finals on Saturday 4 April will be:
• Butvilas / Pereira vs Banthia / Donski
• Isaro / Kaliyanda Poonacha vs Molchanov / Watanabe
A day that reshapes the tournament
The II Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100 now enters its decisive phase with a completely reshaped landscape. The fourth day of play not only clears the singles draw of seeded players, but also highlights the true competitive level of qualifiers, wild cards and alternates.
Saturday 4 April will determine who fights for the singles title and which pairs reach the doubles final, in an edition that proves rankings guarantee nothing.
The Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100, with the main sponsorship of the Consell Insular de Menorca and the support of AETIB and Ajuntament de Ciutadella, alongside partners such as Estrella Damm, Joma, AS, SER, Conecta Balear, Juaneda Hospitales, Bolt 6 and Led Projects, continues to establish itself as a tournament full of excitement and emerging talent.
