QUITO/STARNBERG, July 1, 2026
The top seeds made successful starts to their campaigns at the Challenger de Quito Copa Banco Guayaquil, with Argentina’s Juan Manuel La Serna and Chile’s Matias Soto advancing to the second round of the ATP Challenger event being played on the clay courts of Club Rancho San Francisco.
Tuesday’s action produced few surprises, with the only seeded casualty being Argentina’s fifth seed Facundo Mena. Meanwhile, six seeded players secured their places in the second round.
Top seed La Serna had to work hard before overcoming Mexico’s Alex Hernandez 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
“I think I played well overall. It was a good match, except for the last three games of the second set,” said La Serna. “If I had to rate my performance from one to ten, I’d give it an eight. There are still a few things I need to improve. Physically, I was a little tired. I honestly didn’t expect the altitude to affect me so much, and I struggled for breath throughout the match. But I’m feeling a little better now. It’s time to recover and keep going.”
The Argentine will face compatriot Ignacio Monzon in the second round on Thursday.
Second seed Soto also needed three sets to move on after recovering from a difficult start to defeat US-American Mwendwa Mbithi 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4). The Chilean benefited from the suspension of the match the previous day, using the overnight break to regroup before completing the comeback.
“The interruption was crucial,” Soto admitted. “Yesterday I played one of my worst sets in a very long time—I practically did nothing right. The break gave me time to think and analyze what I could change. Today I came out much better. I also had a bit of luck. I was down 4-3 and 15-40 in the second set, very close to losing in straight sets. I managed to get through that game, then broke serve and took the set. That’s tennis—you have to fight and you have to suffer.”
Soto’s next opponent will be Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Osorio on Wednesday.
Another notable winner was Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, the tournament’s fourth seed and former world No. 1 junior, who rallied past Brazil’s Bruno Fernandez 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
The list of seeded players advancing also includes Brazil’s Eduardo Ribeiro (No. 6), Argentina’s Hernan Casanova (No. 7), and Brazil’s Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida (No. 8), ensuring a strong contingent of favorites remains in contention as the tournament moves into the second round.
Highlights día 2 🎾#ChallengerdeQuito 🇪🇨 Copa @BancoGuayaquil
Sede Club Rancho San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/yxPPHuQXVS— challengeruio (@challengeruio) July 1, 2026
