VALENCIA, May 13, 2026
If there was one match capable of making time stand still at the Club de Tenis Valencia on Wednesday, it was undoubtedly the all-Valencian showdown between Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.
The victory went to Bautista Agut, who produced a superb performance to win 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 32 minutes and remind everyone that, despite entering the final stretch of his professional career, he continues to compete at an exceptionally high level. Pedro Martinez still has one more challenge ahead, however, as he is set to play doubles alongside close friend Bernabe Zapata Miralles, meaning the Copa Faulconbridge is not over for him just yet.
Two other Spanish players also took to the courts on Wednesday looking for success in the singles draw, but neither could join Bautista Agut in the next round. Daniel Merida battled hard before falling to US-American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in one of the closest contests of the day, which lasted two hours and nine minutes.
Later in the day, Alejo Sanchez Quilez came close to producing the upset of the tournament against Bosnian veteran Damir Dzumhur. After splitting the opening two sets, Dzumhur’s experience ultimately proved decisive in the key moments of the third, sealing a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4 victory in two hours and 26 minutes.
Elsewhere, Miomir Kecmanovic opened proceedings on the main court with a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over Norwegian qualifier Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. Germany’s Daniel Altmaier also advanced after defeating compatriot Henri Squire 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 27 minutes.
“It was a tough match,” fifth-seeded Altmaier told Tennis TourTalk afterwards. “Henri came through qualifying and had already won a very close match before. You could tell he was able to play freely today without any pressure and with nothing to lose. From my side, it was a solid performance. I handled the difficult moments well and managed to get the breaks at the right time.”
The evening session belonged to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, who closed the day on ‘Court Pablo Andujar’ with a composed 6-4, 6-2 victory in one hour and 25 minutes over Japanese Taro Daniel, whose energy appeared depleted after coming through the qualifying rounds.
Blasting into R2 🚀
🇮🇹 @MattBerrettini fights through Daniel 6-4, 6-2!#ATPChallenger | @copafbvalencia pic.twitter.com/9s3n39WU1P
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 13, 2026
Attention now turns to a “Super Thursday” at the Club de Tenis Valencia, where all round-of-16 matches will be played. Bautista Agut, one of the standout attractions of this year’s edition, will face Zizou Bergs in the second match of the day, marking the Belgian’s debut at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event.
Before that, top seed Alejandro Tabilo begins his Valencia campaign. The Pablo Andujar Court will also host two high-profile clashes later in the day, with Camilo Ugo Carabelli taking on Matteo Berrettini, followed by another highly anticipated Spanish-Argentine battle between Pablo Carreno Busta and Sebastian Baez.
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