Spaniard Landaluse Reaches Fourth Round of Rome Tournament for the First Time. 20-year-old Martin Landaluse has advanced to the fourth round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Spaniard claimed his second clay-court victory and has moved into the top 80 of the rankings. His next opponent is Serbia’s Medvedevic.
Martín Landaluce achieved the biggest breakthrough of his career on the clay courts of Rome. The Spanish tennis player, who recently turned 20, reached the fourth round of the prestigious Internazionali BNL d’Italia tournament for the first time. In the third round match, Landaluce confidently defeated Italian Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-3, securing a place among the top sixteen.
This success is not only Landaluce’s first clay-court victory on the ATP Tour but also confirms his status as one of the most promising players of the #NextGenATP generation. In his Rome debut, he had already knocked out experienced Marin Čilić and now handled the pressure of the home crowd and a tough opponent. The match against Bellucci lasted nearly two hours and became a real test for the young Spaniard.
Path to the fourth round
Before this tournament, Landaluce had never made such an impressive showing on clay: his record on this surface in ATP Tour events was 1-8. However, in Rome, he managed to break the losing streak. After victories over Čilić and Bellucci, the Spaniard secured a career-best ranking position—virtually climbing to 80th in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
In the fourth round, Landaluce will face Serbian Hamad Medjedovic. He, in turn, advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in his career at an ATP Masters 1000 event, defeating Argentina’s Mariano Navone in a hard-fought three-set battle (4-6, 6-3, 6-4). Earlier, Medjedovic knocked out favorite João Fonseca. For both young players, the upcoming match is a chance to establish themselves among the elite.
Spanish youth in the spotlight
Landaluce continues to gain points in the Next Gen Race, where he currently holds third place. His compatriot Rafael Jodar leads this ranking and has also advanced to the fourth round of the Rome tournament. By reaching the top 20 under 21, Landaluce has earned the right to use the PIF ATP Next Gen Accelerator 2026 platform, which offers additional opportunities for young talent.
This season, the Spaniard has already achieved a historic milestone in Miami, becoming the first player born in 2006 or later to reach the quarterfinals of an ATP Masters 1000. Now in Rome, he can repeat his success and strengthen his position among the leaders of his generation.
Other results and context
In parallel matches of the day, Andrey Rublev confidently advanced to the fourth round by defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (6-4, 6-4). The Russian’s next opponent will be Nikoloz Basilashvili, who knocked out an American favorite for the second time in a row—this time Brandon Nakashima (7-6(5), 6-4). Attention to Spanish tennis players is especially high this season: recently, a key LaLiga match was held in Bilbao, where local Athletic Club and Valencia fought for crucial points— details on the tense battle at San Mamés.
Landaluce, who has a US Open junior champion title and once topped the world junior rankings, is now meeting expectations at the adult level. His performance in Rome is an important signal for Spanish tennis and the entire European scene.
