SANTOS/STARNBERG, May 6, 2026
Five Brazilian players successfully came through the qualifying rounds to secure spots in the main draw of the Santos Brasil Tennis Cup, an ATP Challenger 50 tournament held at the Tenis Clube de Santos. With total prize money of $63,000 and 50 ATP Ranking points awarded to the champion, the event now features 15 Brazilians competing for the title. Six of them are scheduled to take the court this Tuesday afternoon. The tournament is free to attend and runs through Sunday, May 10.
In a hard-fought match lasting over two hours and twenty minutes, Rafael Tosetto defeated Peru’s Arklo Huertas del Pino 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 to reach his third main draw via qualifying this season. He credited his recent success to his new partnership with coach Nicolas Santos. Tosetto will face fellow Brazilian Matheus Pucinelli in the second match on the center court this Wednesday.
“It’s been a very good year for me, especially at the start of this new chapter with Nicolas Santos,” Tosetto said. “We’re seeing the results of our daily work. I came back from tough matches both yesterday and today, and I feel mentally stronger. Having clear direction in training makes all the difference.”
Bruno Fernandez, a Brazilian based in Buenos Aires, also advanced through qualifying for the third time this season. He defeated Victor Pagotto 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 and will now take on Bolivia’s Murkel Dellien on Wednesday.
“It was a tough match. When I dropped my level, he took advantage,” Fernandez said. “The third set came down to small details, but I stayed focused and managed to close it out. The tournament is very competitive, and I want to build on these two wins.”
Luis Felipe Miguel, currently on break from his U.S. university, earned his first-ever ATP Challenger main draw spot by defeating Gabriel Schenekenberg. The younger brother of Guto Miguel expressed his satisfaction with the result.
“I’m really happy with my performance, especially since we’ve played together in the juniors,” he said. “Now I have another opportunity, and I want to give my best on court.”
Luis Felipe will also compete in the doubles draw alongside his brother and is set to face top seed Guido Justo of Argentina in his singles debut on Wednesday afternoon.
