Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7:27 p.m. / Updated Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7:27 p.m.
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (21 years old, #96 ATP) defeated veteran Grigor Dimitrov (34 years old, #137 ATP) in the first round of the Madrid Open, score 6-4, 6-4, and the Bulgarian dropped in the live rankings to 166th place, the lowest ranking in the last 16 years.
On the other side, Daniel Vallejo became the first Paraguayan to win a match at a Masters 1000 tournament since 2010 when Ramon Delgado ticked off a win at Indian Wells.
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, historic victory at the Madrid Open in front of Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov started the match better and got his first two break points right at the opponent's first service game, but without success. At 2-2, it was Vallejo who got the first break and then did a great job on serve to take the first set, winning the final games on his own serve at 0.
The second set started with a new break obtained by Vallejo, who quickly distanced himself to 5-2, at which point Dimitrov managed his first game of the match, but too late to change the fate of the match.
Daniel Vallejo wrote history at the Madrid Open / Photo: Imago Images
It was the first victory for a Paraguayan player in a Masters 1000 tournament since Ramon Delgado's first-round success at Indian Wells in 2010 when he beat Andreas Beck 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
In the second round, Ramon Delgado will face Learner Tien (20 years old, #21 ATP), who did not play in the first round.
On the other hand, he is unable to return to form from the injury suffered at last year's Wimbledon edition, when he had to abandon in the “eighties” at the score of 2-0 in his favor against Jannik Sinner.
The former world No. 3 will drop 90 points following his exit from the Madrid Open and is currently ranked 166th in the live rankings.
