SANTA PONCA/STARNBERG, June 24, 2026
The battle for the title is gathering momentum at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships. Ignacio Buse’s impressive victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov’s composed opening performance and Luciano Darderi’s continued rise as one of the tournament favourites highlighted another compelling day of action at the Mallorca Country Club.
Buse was undoubtedly one of the stories of the day. Backed by a passionate travelling support, the Peruvian produced a superb display to defeat former champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(4), 6-3, claiming only his second career victory on grass. The 2022 champion exits the tournament, while Buse continues to justify the growing excitement surrounding him as one of the season’s breakout performers.
IGNACIO IGNITES 🇵🇪🔥
The Peruvian takes down former champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 6-3 and books his place into round 2!#MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/oY59lFc1LA
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 23, 2026
The Peruvian will open Wednesday’s Centre Court schedule against Czech Vit Kopriva, who advanced with a straight-sets victory over Damir Dzumhur, 6-3, 6-4.
Grigor Dimitrov also moved safely into the next round, beginning his campaign in Santa Ponça with a 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Marc Polmans. The victory marked Dimitrov’s 50th ATP Tour win on grass, further underlining his status as one of the most accomplished active players on the surface.
The Bulgarian will face Jordan’s Abdullah Shelbayh in the round of 16 on Wednesday after the young qualifier impressed in a victory over Corentin Moutet.
Luciano Darderi rounded off the day with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 victory over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann. The top seed showed remarkable resilience, saving 13 break points on his way to the win and reaching the quarter-finals of an ATP grass-court event for the first time in his career. He will take on Portugal’s Nuno Borges on Thursday after Borges defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-5.
In other action, Fabian Marozsan ended Alejandro Tabilo’s title defence with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory, while Miomir Kecmanovic battled back from a set down to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. The two will meet later this week in what promises to be another intriguing encounter, having already exchanged victories in recent meetings in Halle and at Roland Garros.
