POZOBLANCO/STARNBERG, July 14, 2026
Top seed Chris Rodesch survived a major scare to reach the second round of the Open Ciudad de Pozoblanco Covap – Memorial Fabian Dorado 2026, edging past Turkey’s Mert Alkaya in a gripping three-set encounter at the ATP Challenger 75 hard-court event in southern Spain.
In the longest match of the day, which finished late into the night, the Luxembourg player battled through 7-6(9), 4-6, 6-4 after saving multiple set points in a dramatic first-set tie-break. Alkaya controlled much of the baseline exchanges throughout the contest and created the better opportunities on return, forcing Rodesch to save two break points in the opening set before pushing the tie-break to 11-9.
The Turkish qualifier continued to apply pressure in the second set, earning the decisive break in the tenth game to level the match. Remarkably, Rodesch had not created a single break point until midway through the deciding set. His first opportunities came at 3-3, and he converted the second to claim the only break of the final set before serving out a hard-fought victory.
Earlier in the day, 2023 champion Hugo Grenier booked his place in the second round with an impressive 6-4, 6-1 victory over fellow Frenchman Cyril Vandermeersch. After a competitive opening set, Grenier raised his level significantly, dominating the second set to complete the only straight-sets win of the day.
Elsewhere, France’s Paul Inchauspe recovered from a set down to defeat Britain’s Hamish Stewart, while Portugal’s Tiago Pereira, a semifinalist in Pozoblanco last year, also came from a strong challenge to overcome Colombia’s Miguel Tobon in three sets.
The first Spanish exit of the tournament came through local wild card Alejandro Lopez Escribano. Backed by enthusiastic home support, the Andalusian claimed the opening set against Japan’s Akira Santillan, but the experienced Japanese player gradually took control as the match progressed, advancing after three sets.
MONDAY RESULTS
First Round – Singles
Paul Inchauspe (FRA) def. Hamish Stewart (GBR) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Tiago Pereira (POR) def. Miguel Tobón (COL) 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3
Akira Santillan (JPN) def. [WC] Alejandro López Escribano (ESP) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
[4] Hugo Grenier (FRA) def. Cyril Vandermeersch (FRA) 6-4, 6-1
[1] Chris Rodesch (LUX) def. Mert Alkaya (TUR) 7-6(9), 4-6, 6-4
