SANTA FE/STARNBERG, July 4, 2023

The ATP Challenger Tour is back in Argentina for the inaugural AAT Challenger Santa Fe, which offers a total prize money of $40,000 and is being held at the Santa Fe Lawn Tennis Club. The city of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz with about 400,000 inhabitants is situated in north-eastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers.

Seventeen home favourites headline the 32-man draw of the ATP Challenger 50 clay-court event led by World No. 190 Mariano Navone. The bottom half of the draw was in first-round action on Monday. Third seed Roman Andres Burruchaga fought past Mateus Alves of Brazil 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The 21-year-old son of former football international Jorge Burruchuga, who scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the 1986 World Cup final against Germany, converted three of his nine break-point chances to prevail after two hours and 27 minutes.

Up next for Burruchaga will be the winner of the battle between two Argentine qualifiers when Lautaro Corthey will take on Luciano Tacchi.

Tenés 24 años y jugás al tenis hace 4. Te entrenás a doble turno y, después, trabajás dando clases de tenis.
La semana anterior estuviste muy cerca de sacar tu primer punto ATP en casa. Una semana después lo lográs en tu ciudad natal.
Cómo no te vas a emocionar, Lautaro Corthey👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/T17Vg8vPZX

— Asociación Argentina de Tenis (@AATenis) July 2, 2023

Pedro Boscardin Dias also booked his spot in the second round. The No. 8 seed from Brazil defeated US-American alternate Preston Brown 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 46 minutes and will next play Bruno Kuzuhura from the United States.

Argentines Ignacio Monzon and ninth-seeded Matias Franco Descotte also advanced to the next round.