Kecmanović battles back against Sonego to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP tournament in Mallorca
Miomir Kecmanović continued his run at the ATP Mallorca Championships 2026 with a victory that had all the elements of a typical grass-court contest: a fast start by one player, little room for errors on serve, decisive points in the tie-break and a finish in which stability mattered more than the impression from the first set. In the round-of-16 match in Mallorca, the Serbian tennis player defeated Lorenzo Sonego 2:6, 7:6(4), 6:4 and moved among the best eight at the ATP 250 tournament. According to the official ATP draw, Kecmanović's next opponent is Fabian Marozsan, which gave the win over the Italian player additional weight in a section of the tournament in which there had already been several changes to the expected order.
The two players entered the match from different rhythms, but with clear reasons for optimism. Sonego, according to the ATP Tour report, had eliminated seventh seed Mariano Navone in the first round 7:6(2), 2:6, 6:4, confirming that the grass surface in Santa Ponça suits him. Kecmanović, according to ESPN's tournament scoreboard, also had to go through three sets in the first round, defeating Antoine Ghibaudo 2:6, 6:3, 7:6(6). That is why their round-of-16 clash had an additional competitive layer: both had already shown the ability to respond after losing a set, and on grass such resilience often decides more than the total number of points won.
A weak start turned into a controlled comeback
The first set belonged to Sonego by a convincing 6:2, a result that suggests the Italian opened the match better and established his rhythm earlier. On grass, where the low bounce of the ball and shorter points often punish every weaker service game, an early deficit can quickly grow into a set slipping out of control. At that stage Kecmanović had trouble finding continuity, especially in exchanges after the first shot, while Sonego could play from an advantage and without the need to take major risks. Such a start did not necessarily have to define the entire match, but it put Kecmanović in a position where he had to change the dynamic before the Italian moved closer to closing out the encounter.
The turnaround began in the second set, which Kecmanović won in a tie-break 7:6(4). That part of the match was crucial because the Serbian player had to withstand a period in which psychological pressure shifted from one service game to the next. In such circumstances, it is not enough merely to raise the level of play; it is necessary to reduce the number of cheap errors, find a higher percentage of first serves and remain calm in points in which the opponent is expecting a brief chance for a finishing shot. Kecmanović played the tie-break firmly enough not to allow Sonego to pull away, and winning that stretch changed the direction of the match.
Kecmanović closed the deciding set at 6:4, showing that after levelling the match he was not satisfied merely with getting back into it. In the final phase, he had to confirm that the change of rhythm from the second set was sustainable even under greater pressure, because Sonego is a player with experience of winning an ATP title on grass. In the preview of his appearance in Mallorca, the ATP Tour recalled that the Italian won the title at the grass-court tournament in Antalya in 2021, so this result for Kecmanović represents not only progress to the quarterfinals but also a victory against an opponent with proven effectiveness on the same surface.
Grass in Mallorca rewards quick adaptation
The Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships are played at the Mallorca Country Club in Santa Ponça, in the municipality of Calvià, on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The organizers state that the 2026 edition is being held from 20 to 27 June and that it is the sixth edition of the men's ATP 250 tournament at that location. The official tournament website also emphasizes that the Mallorca Country Club was developed in cooperation with Wimbledon and that it was conceived as an important centre of grass-court tennis in southern Europe. Such a context is important for understanding Kecmanović's victory, because Mallorca is not merely a transitional stop in the calendar but also a specific test of the ability to adapt to grass.
The grass surface in professional tennis often reduces reaction time and increases the value of the first shot after the serve or return. Players who rely on long rallies must make decisions more quickly, while those with a more aggressive serve and flatter shots can more easily impose the tempo. In the first set, Sonego looked precisely like the player who made better use of those principles, but after that Kecmanović found a way to extend rallies when necessary and to position himself better for the first shot after the return. Judging by the flow of the score, the most important thing was not that he completely changed his style, but that he managed to neutralize the periods in which the Italian could win points more simply.
For Kecmanović, the fact that he survived a poor start to a match for the second time at the same tournament is also important. After the first round, in which he also lost the first set 2:6 against Ghibaudo, the repetition of the same scenario against the more experienced Sonego could have raised questions about energy consumption and concentration. Instead, the Serbian tennis player showed twice in a row that he can extend a match and bring it into a phase in which several points decide it. On grass, where the number of break opportunities is usually more limited than on slower surfaces, such an ability can be decisive in the final rounds of the tournament.
Sonego left without confirmation after victory over a seed
Lorenzo Sonego reached the round of 16 after one of the more notable victories of the opening part of the tournament. The ATP Tour reported that the Italian defeated seventh seed Mariano Navone in three sets in the first round, opening the path toward a meeting with Kecmanović. That result was important also because it showed how Sonego can cope with an opponent who had seeded status in the draw, but also because he won the match after a shifting rhythm. In the first round he won the first-set tie-break, lost the second set 2:6, and then decided the third 6:4, which almost mirrored the logic of the later match against Kecmanović, only with a different outcome.
Against Kecmanović, Sonego had control after the first set, but he failed to close the match before his opponent established balance. In such encounters, the decision often comes down to who better accepts a change of rhythm after a missed opportunity, and after losing the second set the Italian had to build an advantage again from zero. The third set went Kecmanović's way, so Sonego's victory over Navone remained an important but insufficient step in Mallorca. For the Italian player, who according to ATP data was ranked 65th in singles during the tournament, the defeat means the end of his campaign in a week in which he could have further strengthened his grass-court credentials.
Sonego's game on grass still has clear foundations: serve, readiness to shorten points and experience in matches in which one has to react quickly to changing conditions. But the meeting with Kecmanović also showed the other side of that surface, the one in which an advantage from the first set does not guarantee a secure finish. If the opponent manages to stabilize the return and reduce the number of unforced errors, pressure returns to the player who previously had the initiative. That is exactly what happened in this match, so Sonego was left without a second consecutive three-set triumph.
Kecmanović received confirmation in a week important for ranking and confidence
According to the ATP ranking snapshot available during the tournament, Kecmanović entered Mallorca as the world No. 50, with a career-best ranking of No. 27 from January 2023. Such a profile speaks of a player who has enough experience for the latter stages of ATP tournaments, but also of a season in which every winning streak has special value. ATP data for 2026 indicate that before the final part of June Kecmanović had a fluctuating record on Tour, so reaching the quarterfinals on grass can serve as an important result-based and psychological stabilization.
The manner in which the victory was achieved is especially important. Kecmanović did not win a match in which he dominated from the start, but a match in which he first had to stop a negative direction. That is a difference often seen only later in a tournament, because after such victories players gain confirmation that they can stay in a match even when the initial plan is not working. In the quarterfinals, that resilience will again be important, especially because he faces Marozsan, an opponent who in the round of 16, according to ESPN's scoreboard, defeated fourth seed Alejandro Tabilo 6:2, 6:3. That means Kecmanović will play the next round against a tennis player who also comes in with a win over a seed and with a very convincing result.
Marozsan's progress further opens Kecmanović's section of the draw, but it does not reduce the difficulty of the next task. The Hungarian player is known for his ability to accelerate play from the baseline, and on grass such a style can be especially unpleasant if combined with a high first-serve percentage. In that match, Kecmanović will have to avoid a third consecutive slow start, because against an opponent who passed Tabilo easily an early deficit could be harder to make up. At the same time, the win over Sonego gives him an argument that he can find a solution even in uncomfortable circumstances.
The tournament in Santa Ponça has already produced a more open draw
This year's edition of the tournament in Mallorca began with several results that changed the expected order of the seeds. The ATP Tour reported that Sonego eliminated Navone in the first round, while Nuno Borges defeated eighth seed Adrian Mannarino 6:2, 6:2. Official tournament materials state that the singles participants included Luciano Darderi, Frances Tiafoe, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Ignacio Buse, Corentin Moutet, Alejandro Tabilo, Mariano Navone, Adrian Mannarino, Miomir Kecmanović, Lorenzo Sonego, Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Such a list shows that the tournament, although in the ATP 250 category, gathered a very diverse field of players with different styles and levels of experience on grass.
In their historical overview, the organizers recall that the first edition of the tournament was held in 2021, and that the later singles champions were Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022, Christopher Eubanks in 2023, Alejandro Tabilo in 2024 and Tallon Griekspoor in 2025. These data further emphasize the character of the tournament as a place where players of very different profiles have achieved success: from established stars to those for whom grass opened space for a breakthrough. Kecmanović's entry into the quarterfinals therefore fits into the broader picture of a competition in which the speed of adaptation often outweighs seeded position.
For the global tennis audience, Mallorca has another important dimension: it is held in the final part of June, when the focus of the season shifts toward grass and when players seek competitive minutes before the biggest challenges on that surface. The official tournament schedule sets the singles finale for 27 June, which means that players who remain in the draw must manage their energy carefully. Kecmanović has already played two three-set matches, which can be both a burden and an advantage. The burden is physical, because grass demands explosive movement and constant attention when changing direction; the advantage is competitive, because he has already gone through high-pressure situations that cannot be simulated in training.
Kecmanović's victory over Sonego therefore goes beyond the mere fact of reaching the quarterfinals. It shows that the Serbian tennis player in Mallorca is capable of surviving a poor start, winning a tie-break that carries the whole match and closing a deciding set against a player with proven grass-court experience. The next test against Marozsan will show whether he can turn that pattern into a deeper result at the tournament, but after the match with Sonego it is clear that Kecmanović has found a competitive rhythm in Santa Ponça at the moment when the grass season is approaching its most demanding part.
Sources:
- ATP Tour – official results and draw of the tournament in Mallorca, including Kecmanović's place in the quarterfinals and the schedule of pairings (link)
- ESPN – tournament scoreboard for the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships 2026, used to confirm the Kecmanović - Sonego result and previous-round results (link)
- ATP Tour – report on the opening matches in Mallorca, including Sonego's victory over Mariano Navone and the information about his grass-court title in Antalya in 2021 (link)
- Mallorca Championships – official tournament website, schedule, location, tournament history and information about the Mallorca Country Club (link)
- ATP Tour – official profile and ranking of Miomir Kecmanović, used for the current ranking and basic competitive context (link)
- ATP Tour – official profile and ranking of Lorenzo Sonego, used for the current ranking and basic competitive context (link)