2 months ago
Today's schedule at the Bratislava Open 2026 (ATP Challenger Tour, clay, €160,680 + H) produced several notable results in both the main draw and qualifying competition. Fans at the TK Slovan Bratislava courts witnessed the triumph of former Top 100 player Thanasi Kokkinakis, a successful outing from Slovak representative Andrej Martin, and several convincing performances from tournament favorites.
The biggest attention-grabber of the day was the match involving Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who defeated fifth seed Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile in the opening round of the main draw. Kokkinakis delivered a strong performance, relying on his solid serve to secure a straight-sets victory, 6–4, 6–4.
Also advancing to the second round was Vitaliy Sachko, the 2023 Bratislava Open champion, who overcame Japan's Yosuke Watanuki 6–2, 7–6(4). The Ukrainian thus enjoyed a successful return to the tournament where he claimed the title two years ago. Another impressive display came from talented Italian Federico Cina, who allowed Marko Topo just five games in a convincing 6–3, 6–2 victory. Among the Slovak players in the main draw, Norbert Gombos was unable to overcome third seed Jan Choinski, falling 3–6, 4–6.
In the qualifying competition, local fans were delighted by the performance of Andrej Martin. The experienced Slovak fought back against Alex Marti Pujolras to claim a 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 victory and secure his place in the main draw.
Several other players also came through qualifying. Japan's Taro Daniel eliminated top qualifying seed Lukas Neumayer with a 6–4, 6–3 win. Buvaysar Gadamauri rallied past Dimitar Kuzmanov 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, while Martin Krumich defeated Mathys Erhard 3–6, 6–2, 6–3. Hynek Barton advanced after Nicolas Alvarez Varona retired with Barton leading 4–3.
One of the most dramatic matches of the day featured Abdullah Shelbayh and Akira Santillan. Shelbayh eventually prevailed in a three-set battle, winning 7–6(0), 2–6, 6–0 to earn a place in the main draw. Despite the defeat, Santillan also made it into the tournament after being selected as the first lucky loser, completing the main draw field.
The Bratislava Open now moves on to another exciting day of competition, with fans looking forward to more action from both domestic and international stars on the Bratislava clay courts.
2 months ago