CIUTADELLA DE MENORCA, April 2, 2026
German teenager Justin Engel reached the second round of the Open Menorca on Thursday after defeating Spanish qualifier Inaki Montes-De La Torre in three sets, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 after two hours and 25 minutes. Just in time for the start of the match, the wind conditions at the Tennis Club Ciutadella had finally eased, something Engel described as a decisive factor.
“Yes, very much. It was definitely a game changer and I was able to settle into the match much better,” the 18-year-old from Nuremberg told Tennis TourTalk after his victory. “It has been incredibly windy here. We could hardly practice. I think I have only played one and a half hours of tennis in the last five days.”
As a result, Engel admitted it was difficult to find his rhythm early in the ATP Challenger 100 event.
“It was difficult to find rhythm at the start of the match, but I am very happy that I managed it and left the court as the winner.”
The world No. 186 was especially pleased with the way he stayed mentally strong. After his opponent raised his level in the second set, Engel remained composed and fought through the difficult moments.
“In the second set he got a lot of balls back and raised his level. It could have gone the other way. But I stayed mentally alert and kept fighting until the end.”
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Since the beginning of the season, Engel has been working with coaches Dieter Kindlmann and Ulf Fischer. In Menorca, however, he is traveling alone because Kindlmann had another commitment.
“Here I am on my own because Dieter Kindlmann had an appointment. But this will remain an exception. He will be back with me at the next tournaments.”
Despite the distance, Engel remains in close contact with his coach, who follows the matches via livestream before they review them together.
“Yes, exactly. He will probably be a little upset that in one or two situations I played one drop shot too many, but that is okay,” Engel said with a smile. “I need to become more solid and more professional on court. In these conditions, trying so many drop shots was certainly not always a good idea. But it will help if I become a bit stricter with myself.”
Engel also played at Open Menorca last year and already knows what makes the tournament unique.
“That it is always windy,” he said with a laugh when asked what stands out about the event. “No, in general the conditions are very good. The hotel, the people – everything is very good. Now I hope to stay in the tournament until Sunday. By then it is supposed to be calm again.”
The opening months of the season have not gone quite as Engel had hoped. Before Menorca, he had not advanced beyond the second round at any tournament. One of the highlights of his year so far came in Germany’s Davis Cup tie against Peru, when he defeated Gonzalo Bueno in three hard-fought sets.
“Unfortunately, not quite as well as I had hoped,” Engel said of his first quarter of the season. “But I remain positive. In tennis, ups and downs are normal. The Davis Cup was obviously a highlight. Winning my match in the third set, even though it no longer mattered, was something special.”
With his win in Menorca, Engel is now hoping to carry momentum into the coming weeks. He already has his eyes on the upcoming home tournaments.
“I am already looking forward to the next tournaments. Munich, Stuttgart and Hamburg are coming up. I will try to take the momentum from here with me. I will give it my best.”
