Raul Brancaccio triumphs in Menorca Challenger, as Alex Martinez signals arrival

The second edition of the Open Menorca concluded on Sunday with Raul Brancaccio capturing the title in Ciutadella, as the Italian alternate defeated Spanish qualifier Alex Martinez 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the ATP Challenger 100 event. While Brancaccio secured the third Challenger crown of his career, Martinez completed a remarkable breakthrough week that had taken him all the way from qualifying to the championship match.

Brancaccio added Menorca to his previous Challenger triumphs on home soil in San Benedetto in 2022 and Noumea, New Caledonia in 2023.

The Italian had arrived in the final after surviving one of the most dramatic matches of the week. On Saturday, Brancaccio ended the run of American qualifier Dali Blanch, prevailing 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (2) in one hour and 53 minutes.

“Dali played really well but I stayed focus and I was positive until the end,” Brancaccio said after the semifinal.

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The 28-year-old from Torre del Greco appeared to struggle physically during the second set, which he lost without winning a game.

“I am not sure what happened,” Brancaccio admitted. “I have to check with the physio and then we’ll see. I hope to be ready for tomorrow.”

Brancaccio recovered in time and carried that resilience into Sunday’s championship match. He entered the final with a perfect 3-0 head-to-head record against Martinez and maintained that advantage to claim the title.

On a sunny afternoon at the Club de Tenis Ciutadella, the world No. 379 converted four of his five break-point opportunities and won 59 per cent of the total points played to prevail after 69 minutes.

“I am very happy to have won the title. The last few years have not always been easy for me,” said Brancaccio, who is based in Valencia, Spain and has previously been ranked inside the world’s Top 125. “Now I will try to build on the level I showed here.”

Brancaccio, who will next compete in the Monza Open in Northern Italy, earned €23,750 in prize money as well as 100 ATP Ranking points.

Martinez finds his way back through Menorca’s wind

For Martinez, it was still a breakthrough tournament. Only a few days earlier, he had still been battling his way through qualifying. By the end of the week, the 25-year-old from Barcelona had become the surprise story of the clay-court event and reached the second Challenger final of his career.

Martinez’s run had been all the more remarkable given the difficult conditions throughout the week. Strong winds battered Menorca during the opening days of the tournament, causing delays and eventually forcing a packed Good Friday schedule in which every player remaining in the draw had to play both second-round and quarterfinal matches on the same day.

No player handled those demands better than Martinez. First, he stunned top seed Valentin Royer of France 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3, before returning to the court only hours later to beat fellow Spaniard Pol Martin Tiffon 7-6 (5), 6-1.

“Winning in the afternoon after already being tired is a great effort,” Martinez said after booking his place in the semifinals.

From U.S. college tennis to the Pro Circuit

By then, the world No. 405 had already become one of the stories of the week. The difficult weather may even have worked in his favor. Martinez spent four years playing college tennis at the University of Oklahoma, where wind and even tornadoes are part of everyday life.

With a smile, Martinez admitted that this background had helped prepare him for the demanding conditions on the second largest of the Balearic Islands. While in Oklahoma, he studied Human Relations and graduated with a bachelor’s degree two years ago. The experience also helped launch his professional career, as Martinez was selected for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator in 2024, a program designed to help leading college players transition to the Challenger Tour.

Last season, Martinez won two ITF World Tennis Tour titles in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Harlingen, Texas and climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 388. However, his progress was then interrupted by injuries to both knees.

Back in Barcelona, where he now trains with two coaches and a fitness trainer, Martinez has spent months rebuilding. Menorca became the clearest sign yet that he is finding his way back.

The Spaniard carried his momentum into Saturday’s semifinal, where he defeated another countryman, Daniel Rincon, 7-5, 7-5.

“I was staying strong mentally,” Martinez said afterwards. “Yesterday was a physical day for both of us as we both had to play two matches. After a huge effort like this, it’s easy to let go. I was really thinking about backing up this today.”

The previous day’s wins over top seed Valentin Royer of France and his compatriot Pol Martin Tiffon had been the biggest of his career, but Martinez refused to lose focus.

“I had good wins against a top 100 player and a top 200 player, you are happy, but the job wasn’t done,” he said. “It got me nervous today, but I stayed mentally strong every ball during the match.”

Reaching the final in Menorca already represented the second Challenger final of Martinez’s career, after he finished runner-up at the Open Castilla y Leon in El Espinar two years ago. This time, however, he again had to settle for second place.

“It means a lot, as there is a lot of struggle and pain going through this sport,” Martinez said before the final. “You have to sacrifice a lot and have to work really hard. It is just a reward for the push I have been done the last couple of months and after my injury.”

Martinez arrived in Menorca determined not to focus on rankings or prize money, but instead on enjoying the sport and improving every day. That mindset, combined with a simple off-court routine, helped him produce the best week of his career.

“Every evening we go out for a walk, keeping our phones in the hotel room,” Martinez said of his first tournament trip with his coach. “There is a good environment in the town. It’s quite ‘tranquilo’ and it’s good to disconnect.”

The pair would spend an hour in a local bar before returning to the hotel.

“It’s been helping. We have been doing it since Tuesday and here I am in the final,” Martinez had said on Saturday.

One day later, Raul Brancaccio was the champion. But Alex Martinez left Menorca as one of the breakthrough players of the tournament.