SEGOVIA, May 24, 2024
The 38th edition of the ATP Challenger Open Castilla y León Villa de El Espinar and the VIII ITF World Tennis Tour W25 event will take place from July 22 to 28 at the Pedro Muñoz Municipal Sports Complex, its usual venue at El Espinar Estación. As in last year’s edition, both the men’s and women’s events will be held at the same location.
This year, the tournament is scheduled a week earlier than usual due to the Paris Olympics. The event will carry the slogan “The Tennis of Always,” highlighting the value of a tournament that, along with the Copa Sevilla, is the oldest ATP Challenger event in Spain. In 2009, it was even declared the “Best Challenger in the World”.
The Open Castilla y León Villa de El Espinar boasts an impressive list of champions. In the seven editions of the women’s tournament, winners include notable players like Paula Badosa, who has reached the Top 3 in the WTA rankings, Mirra Andreeva, currently a rising star on the women’s circuit and the youngest player to win the tournament, as well as Liudmila Samsonova, now ranked in the Top 17. Another notable winner is Arantxa Rus, who claimed the title in 2019 and is currently ranked 49th in the world.
The men’s tournament features even more remarkable achievements, with past winners including Grand Slam champions. Rafa Nadal (2003), Fernando Verdasco (2007), Juan Martín del Potro (2006), Feliciano López (2009), Pablo Carreño Busta (2013), Emilio Sánchez-Vicario (1990), Radek Stepanek (1998), Sergi Bruguera (2000), and Juan Ignacio Chela (2001) have all lifted the trophy. More recent champions are Jaume Munar (2017) and Ugo Humbert (2018), who is currently ranked inside the Top 15. The latest champions are Spain’s Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Russia’s Maria Bondarenko.
Every year, the tennis event is accompanied by numerous activities that are part of the tournament’s history, such as the tribute to the Gabarreros, a traditional profession that has endured in El Espinar; wine tastings from Castilla y León; and the Pedro Muñoz Awards, which honor the civil society and sports community of Castilla y León.
