ROME/WASHINGTON, May 14, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Martin Landaluce has gone from a lucky loser to Rome quarterfinalist in the span of a week – but what a week it’s been at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the 20-year-old from Madrid, Spain.
While Landaluce’s friend and fellow Spaniard, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, has been grabbing the spotlight and making headlines around Foro Italico, Landaluce, a former World No. 1 as a junior, has gone about his business quiety but efficiently, after being given a second chance at the ATP Masters 1000 event on red clay in the Eternal City.
After the 94th-ranked Landaluce lost in the final round of qualifying to 155th-ranked Andrea Pellegrino of Italy in three sets, he found his way back into the draw as a lucky loser, replacing injured No. 14 seed Valentin Vacherot of Monaco.
Round by round, Landaluce has strung together impressive wins over Marin Cilic, Mattia Bellucci and 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hamad Medjedovic – his first three tour-level wins on clay – and became the fourth luck loser in tournament history to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals in Rome – the first one in the last 10 years.
The first lucky loser in the men’s quarterfinals of Rome in 10 years
Martin Landaluce takes out Medjedovic 7-5, 6-4 and awaits the winner of Medvedev-Tirante next#IBI26 | @atptour pic.twitter.com/8bccoMZ4oY
— Internazionali BNL d’Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) May 12, 2026
Landaluce’s one-hour, 47-minute fourth-round victory over the 67th-ranked Medjedovic, 7-5, 6-4, on Pietrangeli was a popular one and it advanced him to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season, following his Miami Open success in March, in which he went from qualifier to quarterfinalist and broke into the ATP Top 100.
Against Medjedovic, Landaluce hit 22 winners and converted three of eight break points. He took advantage of 32 unforced errors by his opponent and outpointed Medjedovic 76-65.
Afterward, during his on-court interview with ATP Media, Landaluce, who qualified for last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals but was eliminated in the group stage, was asked what it meant to him to be a Rome quarterfinalist after starting out as a lucky loser.
“Everything! I feel like it’s been really nice to have the opportunity,” he said. “It was my first time being a lucky loser and I went for it. I think the matches are saying everything. I go for the winners; I go for the points. That’s my tennis, that’s myself. So, I’m enjoying so much my stay in Rome and playing at a fantastic level.”
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Landaluce became the first man born in 2006 or later to reach ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals on both clay and hard courts. Throughout the Rome fortnight, the soft-spoken Spaniard, whose live ranking has shot up to a career-best No. 62, has let his tennis racquet do his talking. Landaluce’s game has been clinical in its efficiency and he has remained composed throughout.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 176-pound Landaluce made his professional debut four years ago at the 2022 Alicante Challenger in his home country, a week before his ATP Tour debut as a wild card at Gijon in northwestern Spain. Landaluce owns a 72-52 ATP Challenger Tour win-loss record and has won two titles, in 2024 at Olivia and in 2025 at Orleans. Before he made the jump to the Challenger Tour circuit, Landaluce posted a 58-8 record as a junior, including a 15-match winning streak on grass before he lost in the Wimbledon boys’ singles semifinals. He went on the win the 2022 US Open boys’ singles title.
¿ꜱᴀʙíᴀꜱ ǫᴜᴇ…?
No había dos españoles en de Roma desde 2019 (Nadal y Verdasco).
✌️ En 2026, Rafael Jódar (19 años) y Martín Landaluce (20) están entre los mejores del #IBI26 pic.twitter.com/iDbl706AaB
— ATP Tour en Español (@ATPTour_ES) May 13, 2026
In all competitions this season, Landaluce is 20-14. So, just how relaxed has he been while playing in Rome?
“I mean, I’m not so relaxed because these matches are really tough. [Hamad] was playing really good,” Landaluce said. “I’m just enjoying the good tennis. I didn’t think I was going to get in, so I’m just enjoying each of these days.
“Here I am, many days after [getting in as a lucky loser], playing my best tennis on clay. So, I’m enjoying this week.”
On Thursday evening, Landaluce will face World No. 9 and seventh seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, who won the 2023 Rome title, for a berth in the semifinal round. It will be their first meeting and Medvedev, no doubt, will be the heavy favorite to win and move on to the semifinal round.
“I will fight until the end, having the fighting spirit and giving 100 percent,” Landaluce said matter-of-factly.
This much is certain: Landaluce is finding his groove in the right place and at the right time – and, just as important, with the right attitude, too.
