SANTOS/STARNBERG, May 12, 2025
Rain dominated the final weekend of the 2025 Santos Brasil Tennis Cup, forcing all remaining matches of the ATP Challenger 50 event indoors. The champion of the tournament’s seventh edition was only determined on Sunday evening, Mother’s Day, after a physically demanding double matchday.
Brazil’s Matheus Pucinelli secured the first spot in the championship match with a gritty semifinal win over veteran Argentine Nicolas Kicker, a former top-80 player currently ranked World No. 454. Despite trailing in both sets, Pucinelli showed composure and patience to come back and win 7-5, 7-5.
In the other semifinal, resumed Sunday after rain interrupted play on Saturday, top seed Alvaro Guillen Meza of Ecuador defeated Uruguay’s Franco Roncadelli 6-2, 7-6(4). Ranked No. 216 in the world, Guillen Meza entered the final against Pucinelli having lost all three of their previous encounters, including one just a week prior.
However, Pucinelli showed signs of fatigue in his second match of the day, struggling with a right thigh issue that limited his movement late in the semifinal. He entered the final visibly impaired and dropped the first set 6-3. Despite the discomfort, he pushed through in the second, forcing a dramatic tie-break. Guillen Meza squandered four match points but finally clinched the title 14-12 in the breaker.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
“I’m really happy. Even before arriving, I was excited to come here again. I came last year and loved the beach, the hotel nearby, the great food — it motivates me,” Guillen Meza said after lifting the trophy. “I knew I had to do something different today. Matheus had beaten me very easily, even just last week. I had to raise my level and stay focused, and I managed to come out on top.”
The title marks Guillen Meza’s third career ATP Challenger Tour title and seventh professional title overall. With the win, he earns 50 ATP Ranking points and $8,350 in prize money, likely boosting him to a career-high of World No. 176.
Runner-up Pucinelli pockets $4,910 and 25 points, which should return him to the Top 300. “It was a good match. I couldn’t really play fully in the first set and even considered retiring in the opening game of the second. But I realized I could go a bit further and almost forced a third set. Overall, it was a great week, and I’m happy to reach a final here in Brazil,” said the Brazilian.
The 2025 Santos Brasil Tennis Cup offered a total prize pool of $60,000 and awarded 50 ATP points to the champion.
Past Champions in Santos:
2012 – Ivo Minar (CZE)
2013 – Gastão Elias (POR)
2014 – Maximo Gonzalez (ARG)
2015 – Blaz Rola (SLO)
2016 – Renzo Olivo (ARG)
2024 – Alejo Lingua Lavallén (ARG)
2025 – Álvaro Guillén Meza (ECU)
