Orleans Challenger opens: Landaluce defends his title

The 2026 Orleans Challenger starts today, Monday 9 November, with the first round of the main draw. It is a Challenger 125 on the ATP circuit and the defending champion is Martin Landaluce, who took the title in France a year ago. After the Paris Masters 1000, the week brings players away from the big spotlight, chasing points and confidence.

The stakes are clear: the title is worth 125 ATP points, the final 75, the semifinal 45 and the quarterfinal 25. The round of 16 gives 13 and the first round 6. At this point of the season even a first-round win, with its 6 points, weighs more than it seems.

The draw offers some interesting matches right away. Four first-round matches are scheduled today: Clement Tabur against Lukas Neumayer, Max Houkes against Tom Gentzsch, Benjamin Bonzi against Andrea Pellegrino and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer against Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg. The start times, converted to your time zone, are on the tournament page.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 10 November, brings six more matches. Matteo Martineau faces Hugo Gaston, Jurij Rodionov plays Pedro Martinez Portero and Sebastian Baez takes on Daniil Glinka. The schedule is completed by Otto Virtanen against Dino Prizmic, Dalibor Svrcina against Vitaliy Sachko and Nishesh Basavareddy against Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

One of the most prominent names on the schedule is Sebastian Baez. He is world No. 53 with 1,054 points and his best ranking is No. 48, reached on 3 August 2026. Between 2021 and 2025 he won 5 titles and played 9 finals on the main tour. His current form is not at its best, though: in his last 30 matches he has won 8 and lost 22.

In Paris Baez lost in the first round to Daniel Merida Aguilar, and in Lyon he went out in his opener against Herbert, who beat him 6-3 6-4. For Glinka, tomorrow's opponent, it is an opportunity: at Challenger level the ranking gap matters less than elsewhere.

Landaluce arrives as champion, but after a season of ups and downs. The 20-year-old is No. 72 with 822 points, his best ranking is No. 60 from 3 July 2026, and since 10 August he has dropped three places. In his last 10 matches he has won 4 and lost 6.

His last month shows the level he plays at. In Vienna he lost in the first round to Alexander Zverev, 7-5 3-6 7-6(11), in a match lasting 34 games. In Lyon he lost in three sets to Stan Wawrinka, and before that he had reached the final at the Jinan Challenger 125, where he lost 6-2 4-6 6-3 to Mattia Bellucci.

There is also a points issue for Landaluce. The 2025 title is worth 125 points that expire from the rankings with this edition: if he does not defend them, he loses them, and that is a lot for a player with 822. His name does not appear among the matches scheduled so far on the site, so attention stays on the draw as it fills in.

The Orleans Challenger roll of honour points to a tight final. In 2025 Landaluce beat Raphael Collignon 6-7(6) 6-2 6-3, coming back after losing the first set in a tie-break. The semifinalists were Justin Engel and Mark Lajal, both stopped at 45 points.

Among last year's quarterfinalists, Budkov Kjaer plays today and defends 25 points. The other quarterfinalists were Alexis Galarneau, Patrick Kypson and Remy Bertola. Any result that improves on 2025 therefore adds net points in the rankings, while repeating it only means staying where you are.

Benjamin Bonzi is another story to follow. He is 30, No. 94 with 640 points, and reached No. 90 in September. Since 14 August he has gained five places. In Lyon he beat Cameron Norrie in the first round and lost in the round of 16 to Tommy Paul, while in Paris he was stopped by Taylor Fritz.

He plays in his own country and opens today against Andrea Pellegrino. For Bonzi it is a chance to move up the rankings in a week where the average level is lower than at the big tournaments, but where every point still has to be earned.

Dino Prizmic is the youngster to watch. He is 21, No. 92 with 663 points, has gained nine places since 16 August and has a best ranking of No. 84 from 13 July 2026. He has won 6 of his last 10 matches. He comes from the semifinal of the Brest Challenger 100, where he lost to Martin Damm 6-4 6-7 7-5.

Dalibor Svrcina also comes from a Challenger semifinal, in Bratislava 2, lost to Rodionov 6-3 6-7 6-2. He is No. 114 with 530 points, has gained 15 places since 9 September and in Shanghai played the third round against Daniil Medvedev. Tomorrow he plays Vitaliy Sachko.

Herbert, 35, is No. 254 with 222 points: the story of a veteran trying to climb back. Since 9 September he has gained 37 places and in Lyon he beat Baez. Against Nishesh Basavareddy he faces a clash of experience and youth, one of Tuesday's most interesting matches.

What happens next: over the coming days the draw will take shape with the round of 16 and quarterfinals, then the final will close the week. The winner takes home 125 points. We will update the live rankings and the results on the tournament page as the matches are played.