Wind, grit and surprises: Open Menorca battles through a demanding day and reshapes its draw

Blanch knocks out top seed Dedura-Palomero and Callejón stuns No.2 Yevseyev in qualifying; Royer, Moro and Gakhov move on in the main draw, where second seed Ofner is forced out; and in doubles, the top seeds Kielan and Natarajan fall

The II Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100 experienced one of the toughest days of its second edition this Wednesday, 1 April, with strong winds, low temperatures and a packed schedule following Tuesday’s suspension setting the tone. In a race against time, six decisive qualifying matches, nine main draw singles clashes and one doubles tie were all squeezed into a single, demanding day.

The tournament rose to the challenge at Club Tenis Ciutadella, where persistent gusts disrupted play and forced players to constantly adjust both on serve and from the baseline.

Despite the conditions, nearly the entire schedule was completed, with only the match between Felipe Virgili and Roberto Carballés Baena postponed due to a late increase in wind intensity.

Qualifying shaken up as seeds fall and new names emerge

The qualifying draw underlined the depth of competition, producing several notable upsets and opening the door to a wide range of contenders.

American Dali Blanch delivered one of the standout results of the day by defeating top seed Diego Dedura-Palomero in three sets (4-6/7-5/1-6), taking full control in the deciding set.

Andrew Paulson produced the most dominant performance of the day, brushing aside Federico Arnaboldi (1-6/0-6) with impressive efficiency on serve and sharp returning throughout.

Yaroslav Demin also progressed after edging past Christoph Negritu (6-7(2)/5-7), making the difference with his return game, particularly against second serves.

Meanwhile, Iñaki Montes-De la Torre lived up to expectations with a solid win over Eero Vasa (6-3/6-1), relying on consistency behind his serve and strong conversion on break points.

Alex Martínez and Sergio Callejón Hernando —who notably defeated second seed Denis Yevseyev— completed the list of qualifiers advancing to the main draw.

Main draw: favourites hold firm in physically demanding matches

In the main draw, top seed Valentin Royer came through a competitive match against Edas Butvilas (6-3/7-5), showing composure in key moments and strong efficiency on second serve.

Alejandro Moro Cañas progressed after overcoming Franco Agamenone (6-3/7-6(7)) in a tightly contested match decided in a demanding tie-break.

Pol Martín Tiffon, runner-up in 2025, delivered a solid performance against Nikolas Sánchez Izquierdo (1-6/3-6), in a match influenced by his opponent’s double faults and a medical interruption in the opening set.

Miguel Damas staged one of the day’s key comebacks, defeating Abdullah Shelbayh (3-6/6-3/6-1) after raising his level significantly in the final two sets.

Ivan Gakhov also turned his match around against Norbert Gombos (3-6/6-2/1-6), capitalising on his superiority on serve in the closing stages.

Ofner withdraws as draw opens up

One of the most significant developments of the day was the withdrawal of second seed Sebastian Ofner due to injury, after dropping the first set to Raul Brancaccio (6-3).

This followed the earlier exit of sixth seed Frederico Ferreira Silva, who was defeated by Spain’s Daniel Rincón, further reinforcing the sense of unpredictability in the draw.

Doubles: first major upset

In the doubles draw, the top seeds Szymon Kielan and Vijay SP Natarajan were knocked out by Pruchya Isaro and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (2-6/4-6), in a match decided by the latter pair’s effectiveness on serve and their composure at key moments.

A tournament standing strong against the elements

Beyond the results, the day highlighted the tournament’s ability to adapt under challenging conditions, maintaining its competitive rhythm in an edition that continues to strengthen its position within the ATP Challenger Tour.

Play will resume on Thursday, 2 April, with eight singles matches and seven doubles encounters scheduled, weather permitting.

The Open Menorca ATP Challenger 100, backed by the Consell Insular de Menorca and supported by AETIB, continues to establish itself as a tournament full of intensity and emerging talent.