VILLENA/STARNBERG, October 9, 2026
The Ferrero & Forty Challenger has reached the quarterfinal stage with a strong possibility of another Spanish champion following the success of Pablo Andujar, Carlos Alcaraz and, most recently, Pablo Carreno-Busta, who lifted the title last year.
Pablo Llamas Ruiz kept the Spanish hopes alive with a dramatic comeback against Bulgaria’s Petr Nesterov. After losing the opening set 6-3, Llamas Ruiz found himself in a tight second-set tie-break before turning the match around. He recovered from 3-1 down in the sudden-death phase and eventually prevailed 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
The quarterfinals will now determine which Spaniard reaches the semifinals. Pedro Martinez Portero and Daniel Rincon closed Thursday’s action with a closely contested encounter, with the Valencia native Martinez emerging victorious in two tight sets, 7-5, 6-4.
The all-Spanish quarterfinal will be played as the final match of Friday’s schedule.
The other quarterfinals will see Abedallah Shelbayh take on Estonia’s Daniil Glinka, while Britain’s Jack Pinnington faces Croatia’s Borna Gojo.
The remaining quarterfinal features experienced Serbian Laslo Djere against Czech youngster Hynek Barton. Djere has reached a career-high ranking of world No. 27, while Barton has been one of the tournament’s biggest revelations. The Czech recorded his first career victory over a Top 100 opponent in the opening round, defeating Toby Samuel.
Ferrero presents his new book
The day also featured the official presentation of Juan Carlos Ferrero‘s new book, Mentalidad Ganadora (“Winning Mindset”), which is now available in bookstores.
Speaking on the tournament’s centre court, Ferrero explained that the book covers his experiences as a professional player, including tournaments, injuries and competition, as well as his transition from player to coach. He also emphasized his hope that the book reflects part of his philosophy and approach to work.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
