The draw for the MIFEL TENNIS OPEN BY TELCEL OPPO is ready for its 10th anniversary
- Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco makes his debut against Japan’s S. Shimabukuro, and fellow Mexicans Santiago González and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela participate in doubles.
Los Cabos, July 25, 2026 – The draw ceremony, led by Geoffrey Fernández, director of the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo, revealed some exciting matchups for the star players of the historic tenth edition of the ATP 250.
“These past 10 years have been a time of learning, but the most important thing is the growth we’ve seen in all areas, and of course, with the players. We believe the most significant change was when we moved to this venue; it’s one of the most beautiful on the tour, the ocean view is unique, and that’s when the stars started arriving. This year’s draw is wonderful, worthy of celebrating these 10 years,” commented Geoffrey Fernández, tournament director.
For the special anniversary, the draw was moved to the new Mextenis venue in the commercial area of the Cabo Sports Complex, where 18-year-old American Darwin Blanch was the guest player representing the other participants.
“I spoke with my coaches a few months ago and knew it was a great tournament with a fantastic atmosphere, and I was excited to come. The courts suit me, the beach, the hotel, everything is incredible, I’m happy. I’m eager to see who I get,” Blanch shared in perfect Spanish after living in Argentina for a while and being coached by former tennis player Juan Ignacio Chela.
The top seed for this 2026 edition, Czech Jiri Lehecka, No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and the second seed, Italian Luciano Darderi (No. 21), were drawn on opposite sides of the 28-player draw, as dictated by the ATP, and await their opponents in the second round. Lehecka will face the winner of the match between Coleman Wong (No. 112) and Darwin Blanch, a member of the ATP Next Gen Accelerator program.
Defending champion Denis Shapovalov (No. 67) is in the bottom half of the draw and opens against Australian Rinky Hijikata (No. 96). The winner could face Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco in the second round, as the 21-year-old, who also returns to Los Cabos via a wild card, debuts against Japan’s S. Shimabukuro. Should he advance, he could face second seed Darderi.
Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo (No. 22), the third seed, is in the top half of the draw alongside Lehecka and awaits a qualifier, from which five players will enter following Emilio Nava’s withdrawal. Meanwhile, fourth seed Karen Khachanov (No. 26) faces the same fate in his second-round matchup.
One of the most interesting first-round ties will feature two wild card entrants. Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (No. 142) will take on 17-year-old French prospect Moise Kouame (No. 212), who reached the third round of the French Open.
“Kouame was one of the surprises this year and this is one of the most anticipated matches of the first round. The top half of the draw looks more complicated, but we always have surprises,” added Fernández after the draw.
For his part, the 2021 champion, British representative Cameron Norrie (No. 39), the fifth seed, will face 2025 finalist Aleksandar Kovacevic (No. 93) of the United States in his opening match. Meanwhile, the seventh seed, Spain’s Martin Landaluce (No. 62), who is also third in the race for the Next Gen ATP Finals, will make his debut against Michael Zheng.
The Mexican presence in doubles is a must, and Santiago González is once again teaming up with Rodrigo Pacheco. “I train a lot with Rodri, and although we each have our own process, he’s one of my best friends. It’s incredible for the country that there are always Mexicans in the tournament.”
The main draw begins on Monday, July 27, at 6:00 p.m. local time in Los Cabos.
