ITAJAI/STARNBERG, January 23, 2026
Once again, the home crowd had plenty to celebrate on the center court at the Itajaí Open, an ATP Challenger tournament being held at the Itamirim Clube de Campo in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. Brazilian duo Igor Marcondes and Eduardo Ribeiro produced a thrilling comeback victory to book their place in the doubles semifinals, defeating the top-seeded team of Luis David Martinez of Venezuela and Colombian Cristian Rodriguez and in dramatic fashion.
Representing ADK and training at the host club, Marcondes and Ribeiro dropped the opening set but showed great resilience to turn the match around. After winning a tense second-set tie-break, the Brazilians dominated the match tie-break to seal a 6–7(4), 7–6(6), 10–2 victory.
“We played very well from the start. A few moments slipped away in the first set, but we managed to step up when it mattered most,” said Ribeiro. Marcondes highlighted the atmosphere on court, adding: “The crowd was fantastic and really helped us get out of a tough situation.”
Doubles semifinals will be played on Friday, with the final scheduled for Saturday morning. Brazil could have up to three pairs among the four semifinalists. Joao Lucas Reis and Joao Eduardo Schiessel advanced after defeating Argentinians Guido Justo and Gonzalo Villanueva, while Bruno Oliveira and Matheus Pucinelli also reached the semifinals by overcoming second seeds Alexandru Jean and Bogdan Pavel of Romania.
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Reis and Schiessel will face Marcondes and Ribeiro for a place in the final. “It was a very tough match. We’re extremely happy to be in the semifinals,” said Schiessel. Reis added: “This partnership came together at the last minute, but staying positive and raising our level at the end made all the difference.”
In the singles draw, the final quarterfinalists were also confirmed on Thursday. Joining Igor Marcondes, Thiago Wild, Thiago Monteiro and Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay are Argentina’s Alex Barrena, Peru’s Gonzalo Bueno, Spain’s Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo and Romania’s Stefan Palosi.
Friday’s action begins at 2 p.m. local time, with Monteiro facing Vallejo on Center Court, followed by Sanchez Izquierdo against Palosi on Court 4. Later, Marcondes and Wild take to Center Court, while Barrena meets Bueno on Court 4. The day concludes with the doubles semifinals.
