VILLENA/STARNBERG, October 7, 2026
The most important men’s tournament on hard courts in Spain has reached its halfway stage, and the Ferrero & Forty Challenger is wide open following the withdrawal of top seed Dino Prizmic due to injury. With the Croatian out of the competition, a number of young contenders – and particularly the Spanish players – have been given a major opportunity to fight for the title at the ATP Challenger 100 event.
On the same side of the draw, Spanish seeds Pablo Llamas and Pedro Martinez both made winning starts. Llamas produced an impressive performance to defeat Italy’s Luca Nardi 6-1, 7-6(5). Nardi, a former world No. 63, was unable to match the Spaniard’s level as Llamas booked his place in the next round.
Martinez, meanwhile, had to dig deep against August Holmgren to keep his title hopes alive. The Valencia native found himself a set and a break down in a rain-delayed match, but staged a remarkable comeback against his opponent. After two hours and 40 minutes, Martinez completed an epic 2-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 victory.
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Both Spaniards will be back on court on Thursday, although the draw has produced a difficult path for the home players. Daniel Rincon will face Martinez in his second consecutive all-Spanish clash. Should Llamas overcome Bulgaria’s Petr Nesterov, he would then face the winner of that encounter on Friday. That scenario would guarantee a Spanish player a place in Saturday’s semi-finals.
After two days affected by rain, the tournament can now look forward to a much-improved weather forecast for the decisive stages of the week. Alongside the action on court, spectators can enjoy a packed programme of activities.
On Thursday, Juan Carlos Ferrero will present his new book before the final match of the day. The tournament final will take place on Sunday, October 11, while Friday and Saturday will feature the tournament’s Open Days.
