GUIA DE ISORA/STARNBERG, February 1, 2026
A lot of sunshine welcomed players to the Abama Tennis Academy in Guia de Isora on the opening day of the Tenerife Challenger 1, marking the return of the Canary Islands as a hub of the ATP Challenger Tour with two hard-court tournaments scheduled from February 1 to 15.
After the first matches of qualifying were completed, the remaining spots in the main draw will be decided on Monday, when the first-round matches also get underway.
Maestrelli returns after Melbourne
Fresh off a memorable Australian Open – his first-ever Grand Slam qualification, a first-round win over Terence Atmane and a prestigious match on Rod Laver Arena against Novak Djokovic – Francesco Maestrelli arrives in Tenerife as the top seed. The 23-year-old from Pisa returns to the island after several appearances in recent seasons and will open against France’s Mathys Erhard, with a potential second-round clash against the winner of Abedallah Shelbayh of Jordan and Italian Jacopo Berrettini on the horizon.
Here it is!
Benvenuto, Francesco #tennis #TenerifeChallenger #ATPChallenger #Tenerife pic.twitter.com/C8mVyA4l8T
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) January 31, 2026
In a draw featuring six Italians, the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds are Stefano Travaglia and Lorenzo Giustino. Travaglia, in the bottom half, will start against Sergey Fomin, while Giustino, in the top half, awaits a qualifier. Eyes will also be on 18-year-old Jacopo Vasamì, who begins the year ranked No. 667 after promising flashes during his transitional 2025 season on the Pro Circuit. Playing his first tournament with new coach Filippo Baldi, Vasamì received a wild card and will face a qualifier. Completing the Italian contingent is Gabriele Piraino, who is set to meet Russian Alibek Kachmazov on Monday.
The home crowd will be backed by a strong Spanish presence ready to battle: Daniel Merida, Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Alejandro Moro Canas are seeded No. 2, No. 6 and No. 8 respectively, and will open against Toby Samuel, Benjamin Willwerth and a qualifier. Spanish fans can also cheer for Miguel Damas, Sergio Callejon Hernando, Pol Martin Tiffon, Javier Barranco Cosano and Daniel Rincon.
Mmoh’s Tenerife debut
After an encouraging start to 2026, Michael Mmoh has arrived in Tenerife – and he is already impressed. The former World No. 81, now ranked No. 228, is visiting the island for the first time. “Honestly, I’m shocked,” said the 28-year-old US-American. “I’d heard great things about this place and the tournament, but the view from the Abama Tennis Academy really amazed me. I think it’s a wonderful place to play tennis.”
After injuries affected his recent seasons, Mmoh began the year at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong, where he defeated former World No. 19 Alejandro Tabilo and current World No. 18 Karen Khachanov. He was scheduled to play Australian Open qualifying but chose to focus on a full recovery instead. “Injuries are part of being a professional tennis player, and I have to accept the ups and downs. My goal? I’m happy with how I started the season and I believe I have what it takes to get back into the Top 100. But I have to take it one step at a time – first, I want to play a full year without problems.”
After his first practices in Tenerife, Mmoh also shared his thoughts on the conditions: “The courts seem quite slow, which suits my physical style of play. I think all the ingredients are here to do well.” His opening match, however, will be anything but easy, as he faces Kazakh veteran Mikhail Kukushkin, the tournament’s 2024 champion.
Main Draw Singles / #tennis #TenerifeChallenger #ATPChallenger #Tenerife pic.twitter.com/RInVZlRscn
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) January 31, 2026
Sunday Results
Qualifying – First Round
Benjamin Winter Lopez (9) d. Saul Pacheco (WC) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
Izan Almazan Valiente (7) d. Samuel Garcia Hernandez (WC) 6-2, 6-1
Filip Pieczonka (8) d. Kyle Overmyer 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Oscar Weightman (5) d. Rodrigo Ledesma Sosa (WC) 6-0, 6-2
Iiro Vasa d. Szymon Kielan (10) 6-2, 6-1
Bruno Pujol Navarro (WC) d. Petros Tsitsipas (6) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
Andrea Colombo (11) d. Adrien Burdet 6-1, 6-2
