POZOBLANCO/STARNBERG, July 19, 2026
Ilya Ivashka of Belarus and Chris Rodesch of Luxembourg will contest the 2026 Open Ciudad de Pozoblanco Covap Memorial Fabian Dorado title match on Sunday after winning their semi-finals in very different fashion at the ATP Challenger 75 event in Andalusia.
Ivashka, who came through qualifying, has underlined all week why he owns the strongest résumé in the field. The former world No. 40 has steadily raised his level with each round and produced another outstanding performance to defeat Portugal’s Tiago Pereira 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(7) after two hours and 42 minutes of high-quality tennis.
Rodesch, meanwhile, showed exactly why he arrived in Cordoba as the tournament’s top seed, defeating Japan’s Akira Santillan 6-3, 6-4 in just one hour as he continues his bid to emulate what his coach Gilles Muller achieved on these same courts 22 years ago.
Ivashka survives a dramatic final-set tie-break
The first semi-final was a marathon battle decided by the smallest of margins. Although Pereira created more break-point opportunities, Ivashka always seemed to hold the scoreboard advantage.
As he had in his quarterfinal against Dan Added, Ivashka was unable to convert any of his break chances in the opening set, while the Portuguese player repeatedly escaped trouble to force a tie-break. With both men serving above 60 percent and conceding very few points behind their deliveries, the breaker always looked likely to be decisive. A single mini-break earned Ivashka the first set.
Pereira responded brilliantly in the second set. After saving two early break points, he began to attack more aggressively and eventually broke serve on his fourth opportunity of the set. The Portuguese could not consolidate immediately, but his confidence had clearly grown, and he broke twice more to level the match with a commanding 6-2 set.
The deciding set was full of twists. Ivashka broke in the opening game and appeared to be taking control, but Pereira refused to go away. The Belarusian served for the match at 5-4, only for Pereira to raise his level and break back. Ivashka immediately responded with another break, yet the Portuguese struck back once more to force a final-set tie-break.
In a remarkable display of resilience, Pereira saved three match points, including two on Ivashka’s serve. On the fourth, however, the Portuguese charged the net and left a low volley sitting up for Ivashka, who finally sealed the victory and celebrated by raising his arms after one of the matches of the tournament.
The final awaits 💫
Ilya Ivashka outlasts Pereira in an epic battle to book his place in the championship match!#ATPChallenger | 🇪🇸 Pozoblanco pic.twitter.com/SqXKwokBRK
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) July 18, 2026
Rodesch too strong for Santillan
After such a dramatic opener, the second semi-final was far more straightforward. Rodesch controlled the match from the beginning and never allowed Santillan to settle into the rhythm that had carried him through earlier rounds.
The Luxembourg player broke in the fourth game of the opening set and dominated behind a first-serve percentage that approached 80 percent, conceding almost nothing on his own service games as he took the set 6-3.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Santillan saved three break points in the third game, but Rodesch converted the fourth and then comfortably held serve the rest of the way to complete a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory and book his place in the championship match.
