Martín Landaluce is making good use of his second chance at the Italian Open. The 20-year-old Spaniard was defeated in the second round of qualifying against Andrea Pellegrino in three sets. However, he entered back into the tournament as a "lucky loser" when Valentin Vacherot, a seeded player, withdrew from the tournament. This allowed him to miss the first round and played directly in second round, defeating Marin Cilic in two sets.
Landaluce then beat home favourite Mattia Bellucci, also in straight sets, and reached fourth round (round of 16), setting a match against Hamad Medjedovic, who defeated Joao Fonseca, on Tuesday. It is only the sixth time in the Italian Open history that a lucky loser reaches the last 16, and climbed to 80 in the ATP rankings.
Part of the 2006 generation that's starting to break into elite, alongside Rafael Jódar or Joao Fonseca, Landaluce reached the quarter-finals in the Miami Masters 1,000 last March, losing to Jiri Lehecka. Landaluce is third in the Next Gen Race this 2026, with players 20 years old or below, behind Fonseca and Jódar.
Meanwhile, Pellegrino, the player that initially defeated Landaluce in qualifying, is facing compatriot Jannik Sinner in round of 16 tomorrow Tuesday. Sinner remains favourite for the title, after defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-2, 6-0 on Monday.