QUITO/STARNBERG, July 5, 2026

The semifinal line-up is set at the Challenger de Quito Copa Banco Guayaquil, with Brazil’s Felipe Meligeni Alves and Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida, Argentina’s Hernan Casanova, and Colombia’s Samuel Heredia moving within two wins of the title and the tournament’s 50 ATP Ranking points.

Meligeni Alves produced the comeback of the day, overcoming Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in a gripping two-hour, 30-minute battle. The 28-year-old Brazilian showed remarkable composure after saving a match point in the second set before prevailing in a dramatic deciding-set tie-break.

“I think today’s match was completely mental,” said Meligeni Alves. “Saving a match point in the second set helped me a lot. I started serving better in the third set, but it was a very difficult match. There were moments when Rodri was playing really well. These are the kind of matches that make you stronger.”

The Brazilian, who recently returned from injury, added that the demanding contest was exactly what he needed to continue building confidence.

“I hadn’t played many matches recently, so I needed a tough battle like this to gain even more confidence, and I think I handled it very well.”

Meligeni Alves will now face Argentina’s Casanova, who defeated Colombia’s Juan Sebastián Osorio 6-2, 7-6(3). Casanova dominated the opening set before recovering from a difficult second set to produce an excellent tie-break.

“I played very well in the first set and started aggressively,” Casanova said. “He relaxed more in the second while my level dropped a little, but I managed to come back after being two mini-breaks down in the tie-break. It was something very unusual and difficult to do, and I played the tie-break extremely well.”

The other semifinal will feature Colombia’s Samuel Heredia against Brazil’s Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida. Heredia advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Argentina’s Ignacio Monzon, while Pucinelli de Almeida defeated Mexico’s Alan Magadan 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4 to complete the semifinal line-up.

Highlights día 5 🎾 #ChallengerdeQuito 🇪🇨 Copa @BancoGuayaquil
Sede Club Rancho San Francisco.#ATP #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/uJW2vro9aR

— challengeruio (@challengeruio) July 4, 2026