MORELIA/STARNBERG, March 25, 2026

Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez made a strong start at the Morelia Open 2026, defeating US-American qualifier Alafia Ayeni 6-2, 6-4 in front of a packed Estadio Tres Marias in Michoacan’s capital. The 20-year-old secured the win in one hour and 15 minutes, showing solid form throughout the match.

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Pacheco Mendez backs up his Cuernavaca QF run with a convincing 6-2, 6-4 win over Ayeni!#ATPChallenger | 🇲🇽 Morelia pic.twitter.com/K5zoVW0bLO

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) March 25, 2026

Pacheco expressed satisfaction with his performance, highlighting the importance of the victory for his confidence moving forward. “I’m very happy to be here again. It was a great match on my side. At times I felt nervous, but I managed to play well, stay solid, and try to bring my best version of tennis. Tomorrow I’ll go all out, enjoy the match, and keep improving,” he said.

The world No. 303 took control early, breaking his opponent’s serve in the third game of the opening set. Despite Ayeni raising his level at times, Pacheco Mendez remained composed. “There were moments when he played well, but I never dropped my level. I focused on delivering my best serves, and that helped me turn things in my favor,” he added.

Next, the Yucatan native will face the tournament’s top seed, Australia’s James Duckworth, in the second round of the ATP Challenger 125 hard-court event. Despite the challenge, Pacheco Mendez remains relaxed about the matchup. “Honestly, I’m just going to enjoy the match. He has everything to lose, the pressure is on him. I’ll take it step by step, but I know that with my abilities I can play a good match and even win it,” he said.

In other singles action, fellow Mexican Alex Hernandez was defeated by Ecuador’s Andres Andrade 6-4, 6-4 during the evening session.

The longest matches of the day pushed players to their physical limits. Australian qualifier Marc Polmans outlasted Argentina’s Facundo Mena in a thrilling three-set contest, winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) after two hours and 23 minutes. The match not only stood as the longest of the morning but also became the third-longest in the tournament’s history. In another extended encounter, Canada’s Alexis Galarneau staged a comeback to defeat Colombian qualifier Miguel Tobon 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes.

Several matches were decided in straight sets, though still requiring solid performances. Third seed Tristan Schoolkate of Australia advanced with a composed 7-6(2), 6-4 victory over French qualifier Robin Catry in one hour and 38 minutes. In an all-US-American clash, Andres Martin dominated Stefan Kozlov with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win in one hour and 26 minutes.

One of the biggest upsets of the session came from France’s Luka Pavlovic, who defeated second seed Adam Walton of Australia 6-3, 7-5 in just one hour and 23 minutes. Seventh seed Yunchaokete Bu of China secured his place in the next round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Germany’s Max Wiskandt in one hour and 19 minutes.

US-American qualifier Quinn Vandecasteele showcased aggressive play to overcome Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev 6–1, 7–6(4) in one hour and 13 minutes. Meanwhile, Argentina’s Juan Pablo Ficovich recorded the fastest victory of the morning, dispatching Brazil’s Mateus Alves 6-3, 6-1 in just 66 minutes.