CORDOBA/STARNBERG, May 16, 2026
Juan Manuel La Serna captured the first ATP Challenger title of his career on Sunday after winning the AAT Challenger IEB+ Edicion Cordoba, marking a major breakthrough for the 22-year-old Argentine.
Playing at the Cordoba Lawn Tennis Club, La Serna defeated Uruguay’s Franco Roncadelli 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in a physically demanding final on Saturday to lift the trophy in front of the home crowd.
The victory will also propel La Serna into the Top 300 for the first time in his career. He arrived in Cordoba ranked No. 367 in the world and is expected to climb to approximately No. 282 following his title run.
La emoción del primer título Challenger. Y en casa 🏠🥹
🏆 Juan Manuel La Serna 🇦🇷 se consagró campeón del AAT Challenger IEB+ edición Córdoba.
El catamarqueño de 22 años, formado en Córdoba, festejo en el Córdoba Lawn Tenis Club junto a sus familiares y amigos 🤗 pic.twitter.com/TQGfrIZUZZ
— Asociación Argentina de Tenis (@AATenis) May 16, 2026
The final began in dominant fashion for the Argentine, who quickly imposed his aggressive game style and raced to a 4-0 lead with two early breaks of serve. Confident from the baseline, La Serna appeared fully in control as he dictated play and prevented Roncadelli from finding any rhythm.
However, the Uruguayan – who entered the final on a nine-match winning streak after claiming the title the previous week in at the Santos Brasil Tennis Cup – responded impressively. Roncadelli recovered both breaks to level the set at 5-5 and threatened a remarkable comeback. Yet just as momentum seemed to shift, La Serna raised his level again, earning another crucial break before closing out the opening set 7-5.
The second set told a completely different story.
Although La Serna initially secured another early break, Roncadelli once again fought back immediately. From 2-2 onward, the Uruguayan took full control of the match, playing with increasing confidence and precision. He reeled off a series of breaks to dominate the set 6-2, forcing the championship match into a deciding third set.
With the title on the line, La Serna once more showed his resilience. The Argentine grabbed an early break, only for Roncadelli to answer again, continuing the back-and-forth nature of the contest. But at 2-2, La Serna delivered the decisive response, breaking serve to move ahead 4-2.
From there, the Argentine produced some of his best tennis of the afternoon. Serving confidently and attacking whenever opportunities appeared, La Serna maintained control before sealing the biggest victory of his career with one final break of serve after two hours and 34 minutes. He earned $9,500 in prize money as well as 50 ATP Ranking points.
Lista de tareas de Manu La Serna:
✅ Ganar un Challenger
✅ Ganar un Challenger en casa
✅ Entrar al top 300 (282º en vivo) pic.twitter.com/kDoqCjyNhh— Asociación Argentina de Tenis (@AATenis) May 16, 2026
The AAT Challenger IEB+ Edicion Cordoba offered a total prize pool of $63,000 and marked the fourth ATP Challenger tournament organized by the Argentine Tennis Federation during the 2026 season, continuing the federation’s efforts to strengthen the Challenger Circuit in the country.
