Day 1. Eyes on Hernandez-Valenzuela: a 2025 on top?

That formed by Pol Hernandez and Rama Valenzuela is one of the most awaited pairs of 2025. The two very young players (the Spaniard was born in 2004, the Argentinean in 2005) had closed the last season by frightening Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan in the round of 16 of the Milan P1, losing 7-6 7-5 but putting the number 2 seed in great trouble. Hernandez and Valenzuela started the new season by overcoming in a generational duel in the first round of the Riyadh Season P1 the eternal Miguel Lamperti and Dani Santigosa with a score of 7-6 3-6 6-3. A pair, the one formed by Pol and Rama, that has resisted the many changes since 2024 and that can lead to an improvement in the ranking that now sees Hernandez at number 65 and Valenzuela at number 76. In the second round, the challenge against Tino Libaak and Juan Tello, the number 15 seed.

Among the results of the first day, of particular note were the success in an hour and 35 minutes of Nachi Sager and Juan Cruz Belluati over Josete Rico and Agustin Gutierrez (6-3 4-6 6-3) and that of qualifiers Miguel and Nuno Deus, who after gaining access to the main draw with the cheers of Cristiano Ronaldo repeated with a 7-5 6-3 win over Arnau Ayats and Pablo Garcia Rodrigo. In the women’s draw, however, Carmen Goenaga and Bea Caldera’s feat with a 6-4 7-6 win over Veronica Virseda and Ale Salazar (6). Tuesday will be the day of the debut of other big names, starting with Martin Di Nenno and Javi Garrido (5), protagonists of the second match on the centre court against Sager and Cruz Belluati. Momo Gonzalez and Jon Sanz (6) will face Mario Huete and Federico Mouriño, but it will also be time for Paquito Navarro and Lucas Bergamini (7) against Pablo Lijo and Gonzalo Rubio.