Key Takeaways
- A 7-5, 6-3 victory over Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi sent Álvaro Montiel and Daniel Santigosa through after a huge Rotterdam main-draw upset.
- In a fiercely contested opening-round encounter, Maxi Arce and Juan Tello defeated Pablo Garcia Rodrigo and ‘Tolito’ Aguirre 7-6, 7-5.
- Earlier in the day, the last round of men’s qualifying ended with teams such as Zapata-Naranjo and Fonteny-Moragues advancing to the main draw.
Alonso and Goñi suffer shock opening-round elimination
Day 1 of the Rotterdam 2026 tournament moved swiftly from the closing stages of qualifying into the men’s main draw, where a major surprise soon followed. Newly selected Spanish international Aimar Goñi and Edu Alonso made an early exit after losing their opening-round match to Álvaro Montiel and Daniel Santigosa.
Alonso and Goñi were familiar with their lower-ranked rivals but failed to find their best level. They narrowly conceded the opening set 7-5 before losing sharpness in the second, with errors when trying to finish points contributing to a 6-3 defeat and an unexpectedly early departure.
Close results mark the start of main-draw play
The other early matches in the first round were also highly competitive. Pablo Garcia Rodrigo and ‘Tolito’ Aguirre pushed Maxi Arce and Juan Tello hard, but Arce and Tello came through 7-6, 7-5.
A 6-3, 7-5 win against Alonso Rodriguez and Flavio Abbate carried Tino Libaak and Gonzalo G. Alfonso into the next round. Pablo Lijo and ‘Xisco’ Gil also advanced, overcoming Fede Mouriño and Marc Quilez 7-5, 6-3 in a demanding contest.
| Winners | Losers | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Álvaro Montiel – Daniel Santigosa | Edu Alonso – Aimar Goñi | 7-5, 6-3 |
| Maxi Arce – Juan Tello | Pablo Gª Rodrigo – ‘Tolito’ Aguirre | 7-6, 7-5 |
| Tino Libaak – Gonzalo G. Alfonso | Alonso Rodriguez – Flavio Abbate | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Pablo Lijo – ‘Xisco’ Gil | Fede Mouriño – Marc Quilez | 7-5, 6-3 |
Final qualifying places settled after decisive contests
The tournament lineup was completed in the final qualifying round (Q3) before the main-draw action began. Timeo Fonteny and Nacho Moragues qualified by beating Willy Slaryd and Thijs Roper 6-4, 6-1. Manu Aragon and Albert Roglan also progressed when injury forced Exequiel Mouriño and Noe Navarro to retire while trailing 6-3, 3-0.
Hard-fought matches decided the other available qualifying berths. After conceding the first set, Teo Zapata and Adrian Naranjo recovered to beat Argentinians Octavio Álvarez and Miguel Lamperti 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, with Álvarez and Lamperti unable to maintain their early intensity. The last qualifying match saw Mario Ortega and Adam Axelsson resist a strong test from Pau Miñano and Ferran Insa to win 6-3, 7-6.
