Match Report
Vallejo becomes second Paraguayan to record Masters 1000 win: ‘It feels like a movie’
The 21-year-old upset Dimitrov in Madrid
April 23, 2026
Mutua Madrid Open
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in action in Madrid on Thursday.
By ATP Staff
Paraguayan qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo earned victory on his ATP Masters 1000 debut on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he overcame former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round.
The 21-year-old is just the second Paraguayan to record a Masters 1000 win, since the series was introduced in 1990, joining Ramon Delgado. Vallejo is up 12 spots to No. 84 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will next play Learner Tien.
“It is unbelievable. It feels like a movie,” Vallejo said. “I don’t know what is happening. I used to watch [Dimitrov] and all the highlights of him. All the points he did against me today, I used to watch on TV. Now to play against him, ‘Wow’. I can’t understand what is happening but I am just trying to enjoy it.”
Vallejo has won two ATP Challenger titles this season and earned tour-level wins in Santiago and Houston. In March, he became the third Paraguayan player to crack the Top 100 in PIF ATP Rankings history, joining Delgado and Victor Pecci.
Dimitrov, a former quarter-finalist in Madrid, is now winless since Indian Wells. The 34-year-old Bulgarian holds a 2-7 record on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
In other Day 2 action, Pablo Carreno Busta earned his first Madrid in 10 years when he beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. The 20-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx downed Cristian Garin 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, and Fabian Marozsan beat Ethan Quinn 7-6(5), 7-6(6).
