VALENCIA/STARNBERG, May 12, 2026
An emotional atmosphere filled the Club de Tenis Valencia on Tuesday as Spanish players dominated the spotlight throughout the day at the Copa Faulconbridge.
The biggest moment came in the evening session, where local favorite Bernabe Zapata Miralles played the final singles match of his career. The Valencian fell to Paraguay’s Daniel Vallejo in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, against the current world No. 84. Despite the difficult challenge, Zapata Miralles fought for every point and received a warm ovation from the home crowd. Fans will still have one more chance to see him compete in doubles alongside Pedro Martinez.
Ending it where it all began 🥹
Bernabe Zapata Miralles retires from professional tennis in Valencia#ATPChallenger | @copafbvalencia | @bernabezapata1 pic.twitter.com/DHAaR3FStJ
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 12, 2026
Earlier in the day, Nicolas Alvarez Varona claimed one of the best wins of his career, defeating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 for his first-ever victory over a top-100 opponent. Another Spanish success came from Pablo Carreno Busta, who overcame Argentina’s Francisco Comesana 6-4, 6-3 in one of the highest-quality matches of the tournament so far.
It was not all good news for the home players, however, as Roberto Carballes Baena exited in the opening round after a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to sixth seed Sebastian Baez.
The qualifying stage of the ATP Challenger 175 tournament also concluded on Tuesday. Alejo Sanchez Quilez became the only Spanish player to advance through qualifying after defeating Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 6-4. Meanwhile, Carlos Sanchez Jover narrowly missed out, losing to veteran Japanese player Taro Daniel 6-2, 6-4. Daniel, who entered the draw as a late alternate, will now face Matteo Berrettini in the main draw.
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