GUAYAQUIL/STARNBERG, November 23, 2025
The final of the 21st edition of the Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil – Copa Banco Guayaquil will showcase a compelling duel between youth and experience, as Paraguay’s Daniel Vallejo will take on Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday at the Guayaquil Tennis Club, Anexo venue.
Vallejo rallied from a set down to overcome Alvaro Guillen of Ecuador 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in two hours and 28 minutes in the semi-final on Saturday.
“It was a very tough match. Alvaro is a very physical and difficult player. I started well but then completely lost my rhythm for a stretch, couldn’t win a point for several games,” said Vallejo, the former junior world No. 1. “Before the second set I went to the bathroom, reset myself, and little by little found my game again. I’m happy with the victory.”
Despite their young age – Vallejo at 21 and Guillen at 22 – the two had already met four times on the professional tour, which made for a highly tactical battle. The competition were intense, with a packed stadium enjoying every rally from two players who are widely expected to break into Grand Slam-level competition soon.
Varillas Finds His Best Tennis
For Varillas, the semifinal produced his strongest performance of the week. He faced defending champion Federico Gomez of Argentina and defeated him 6–4, 6–4 in one hour and 42 minutes.
#Highlights Juan Pablo Varillas venció a Federico Gómez por doble 6-4 en la segunda semifinal del #ChallengerdeGuayaquil Copa @BancoGuayaquil auspiciado por @alcaldiagye pic.twitter.com/wWfTGP2wiO
— Challenger de Guayaquil (@challengye05) November 23, 2025
“Very happy to be in a final after such a long time,” said the 30-year-old Peruvian. “I’ve been chasing this since coming back from injury. It took time to find my rhythm again, but little by little I’m returning to the level I want. Happy to finally be in a final here—the third time’s the charm.”
Records show that Vallejo and Varillas have met twice as professionals, each winning once. One of those encounters was this year’s final in Buenos Aires, where Varillas claimed the title.
Mexican Duo Claims the Doubles Title
Mexico’s Alex Hernandez and Rodrigo Pacheco captured their first title as a team, defeating Argentina’s Lucio Ratti and Brazil’s Victor Remondy Pagotto 7–5, 6–3 in the doubles final. Although the match was closely contested early on, the Mexican pair proved more effective in the key moments and prevailed after one hour and 21 minutes.
Hernandez and Pacheco split $4 980 in prize money and earned 75 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
