POZOBLANCO/STARNBERG, July 15, 2026
Spanish players Izan Almazan and Alejo Sanchez Quilez delighted the home crowd by securing their places in the second round of the Open Ciudad de Pozoblanco Covap – Memorial Fabian Dorado 2026, while a pair of seeded players suffered surprise exits on Tuesday.
Qualifier Izan Almazan continued his impressive run in Pozoblanco by defeating eighth seed Alastair Gray of Great Britain in straight sets. Having already won two matches in qualifying to reach the main draw, the Spaniard showed remarkable composure after falling behind early and losing serve in the opening game.
Gray appeared to be in control when serving for the first set, but Almazan fought back to level the score and force a tie-break, which he won 7-4. Riding the momentum, the Mallorca native broke early in the second set and never looked back, completing an excellent 7-6(4), 6-2 victory.
Joining him in the last 16 is Alejo Sanchez Quilez, who produced a solid performance against Pavel Lagutin. The Spaniard dictated play from the outset, using his movement and consistency to keep his opponent under pressure. After taking the opening set 6-3, Sanchez Quilez recovered quickly from an early break deficit in the second set before sealing a 6-3, 6-4 win.
The biggest upset of the day came when Turkey’s Yanki Erel eliminated third seed Luka Pavlovic. The Frenchman lost a tightly contested first-set tie-break and struggled to recover mentally, allowing Erel to race through the second set and claim a convincing 7-6(6), 6-2 victory.
Local hopes were also carried by Pablo Perez Navarro, who pushed fifth seed Oliver Crawford hard in a competitive contest. The Granada native created opportunities in the opening set and remained in contention throughout the match, but Crawford’s experience ultimately proved decisive in a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Elsewhere, Czech player Dominik Palan, Bulgarian youngster Ivan Ivanov, and Frenchman Antoine Ghibaudo all progressed to the second round.
TUESDAY RESULTS
Singles – First Round
Alejo Sánchez Quílez (ESP) def. Pavel Lagutin 6-3, 6-4
Izan Almazán Valiente (ESP) def. [8] Alastair Gray (GBR) 7-6(4), 6-2
Dominik Palan (CZE) def. Vadym Ursu (UKR) 6-4, 7-5
Ivan Ivanov (BUL) def. Massimo Giunta (ITA) 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-5
[5] Oliver Crawford (GBR) def. Pablo Pérez Navarro (ESP) 6-4, 6-3
Yanki Erel (TUR) def. [3] Luka Pavlovic (FRA) 7-6(6), 6-2
Antoine Ghibaudo (FRA) def. Luca Castelnuovo (SUI) 7-5, 6-4
