GUIA DE ISORA/STARNBERG, February 8, 2026
Daniel Mérida crowned a memorable week at the Tenerife Challenger 1 by lifting the trophy in a dream final between the tournament’s top two seeds. The 21-year-old Spaniard defeated No. 1 seed Francesco Maestrelli of Italy 6-2, 6-4 to claim the title, bringing the curtain down on a thrilling week of tennis on the courts of the Abama Tennis Academy. With high-quality matches in sunny conditions, strong crowds and a showdown that lived up to expectations, the final day delivered a fitting conclusion to the first of two ATP Challenger 75 events on the largest of the Canary Islands.
Mérida advanced to the championship match with victories over Briton Toby Samuel, Spanish qualifier Alejo Sánchez Quílez, eighth seed Alejandro Moro Cañas of Spain, and third-seeded Italian Stefano Travaglia.
In his first meeting with Maestrelli, Mérida didn’t face a break point and capitalized on three of his own five break-point chances to secure victory in one hour and 17 minutes.
Tenerife belongs to Dani Merida
The Spaniard dominates the final against Maestrelli 6-2, 6-4 to the delight of the home crowd #ATPChallenger | @Mridatenis1 | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/2azk5cFdon
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 8, 2026
“I’m extremely happy with how I played all week. In general, I’ve always felt I could play well in Tenerife and I’m always happy to compete on this beautiful island,” Mérida said.
“Winning my first Challenger last year gave me a lot of confidence. Now I step on court against players like Travaglia and Maestrelli knowing and believing I can win.”
By winning his second ATP Challenger Tour career title, his second on home soil after Pozoblanco in Andalusia last year, Mérida earned €15,510 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.
With his new career-high ranking of world No. 152, this result opens up new perspectives. “I’d love to play for Spain in the Davis Cup one day, and it would also be a dream to compete at the Madrid Masters,” Mérida stated. “It’s the tournament I used to attend as a kid. I hope to get in with my ranking, but I wouldn’t mind a wild card either.”
After this week, the Madrid native will have just one day of rest before returning for the Tenerife Challenger 2, where he will face an immediate test in the first round against an in-form Lorenzo Giustino.
Shelbayh/Vega Hernandez triumph in doubles
On Saturday, Abdullah Shelbayh of Jordan and Spaniard David Vega Hernandez captured the doubles title. They defeated the all-Spanish combination of Pedro Llamas Ruiz and Benjamin Winter Lopez 6-2, 6-4 in the 68-minutes final.
By winning their first team title, Shelbayh and Vega Hernandez split €4,540 in prize money and collected 75 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
Brendan Breen: ‘The Tournament Keeps Growing’
“Every year the numbers for the tournament grow, and I’m proud of how many people were in the stands for this wonderful final between Mérida and Maestrelli,” said Brendan Breen, Director of the Abama Golf and Tennis Academy.
“Tenerife Tourism has supported the tournament for many years, and it’s great to see a return on their investment, with tennis tourism growing strongly. More and more visitors are coming to the island specifically for the event. And next week we’ll have two champions like Fabio Fognini and Flavia Pennetta here at the Abama Tennis Academy. It will be a fantastic occasion, especially coming just days after Alcaraz spoke about Tenerife as his favorite destination.”
