MADRID/WASHINGTON, April 24, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Among the 16 first-round ATP Masters 1000 singles matches at the Mutua Madrid Open played Thursday, one that stood out was the triumph scored by 96th-ranked Paraguayan qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.
On Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, the second-largest show court at Caja Magica, the 21-year-old Vallejo earned victory in his ATP Masters 1000 main-draw debut. He defeated former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-4, in an hour and 34 minutes to advance to the second round against World No. 21 and 17th seed Learner Tien of the United States on Saturday.
What a moment 🇵🇾
Qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo takes down Dimitrov 6-4 6-4 in his maiden Masters 1000 match! #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/Xsxn8nOKgN
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 23, 2026
Of significance, Vallejo is just the second Paraguayan to earn an ATP Masters 1000 victory, since the series was begun in 1990. He joins Ramon Delgado, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 52 in 1999 – before Vallejo was born – and won 103 tour-level matches during his career. By comparison, the Asuncion-born Vallejo has won 12 of 18 tour-level matches since turning pro in 2023. He is up 12 spots to a career-best No. 84 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after defeating Dimitrov.
Upon securing match point, the 6-foot-1-inch, 167-pound Vallejo shook his head in disbelief and let out a big sigh of relief. At the net, he received a warm hug from the 137th-ranked Dimitrov, who congratulated him on his accomplishment. Only then did Vallejo finally crack a big smile, which he shared with the applauding fans.
Vallejo won 76 percent (37 of 49) of his first-serve points, saved five of six break points and converted three of five break-point chances. He hit 12 winners to 17 unforced errors and outpointed Dimitrov 68-57.
After his victory over Dimitrov, Vallejo was asked during an on-court interview to describe what he had just achieved. “It is unbelievable. It feels like a movie,” he said. “I don’t know what is happening. I used to watch [Dimitrov] and all the highlights of him. All the points he did against me today, I used to watch on TV. Now to play against him, ‘Wow.’ I can’t understand what is happening but I am just trying to enjoy it.”
“It’s like a movie” 🍿
Qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo taking it all in after defeating Dimitrov#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/PGc2WHDzAQ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 23, 2026
To his credit, Vallejo has won a couple of ATP Challenger Tour titles this season – at Itajai, Brazil on clay and Concepcion, Chile on clay, both in January – and he also secured a couple of tour-level victories on clay at Santiago, Chile, and Houston, Texas. Earlier this week, Vallejo qualified for the Madrid main draw with victories over Pedro Martinez of Spain and Henrique Rocha of Portugal.
Last month, Vallejo became just the third Paraguayan player in ATP Tour history to break into the ATP Top 100, joining Delgado and Victor Pecci.
Looking back, Vallejo said of his tension-filled victory over Dimitrov, in which he built a 5-2 lead in the second set before holding on to win 6-4: “To have this win, it was a big win. There was a lot of tension before and during the match. I’m happy I was able to close the match in a good style. I’m happy to go through to the second round.
“There’s been a lot of sacrifices since I was a little kid,” added Vallejo, who first played tennis at age 6 alongside his father and two brothers. “I’m the third Paraguayan to break into the Top 100, so you can tell how big of a sacrifice it’s been. That’s why I’m enjoying it so much. For me, it’s always been a dream of playing here. I’m just so happy. You can tell I am enjoying this.”
