Martín Landaluce continues to establish himself as one of the great future pearls of Spanish tennis, taking orderly steps on the circuit in search of professional maturity. At 17 years old, this Monday the Spaniard from Madrid became the first tennis player born in 2006 capable of breaking into the Top 500 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, crossing a threshold of good projection in the locker room.
After competing in the Faulcombridge Cup in Valencia, where he defeated Pablo Andújar during the last match of the Cuenca native’s career, his racket appears this Monday as world No. 443, being the player who has climbed the highest so far in his generation.
The Spanish figure, who works at the Rafa Nadal Academy and reached junior world No. 1 last February, has written a 2023 season by laying firm foundations for the jump to professionalism. With a stable progression and guided by the advice of Óscar Burrieza, Gustavo Marcaccio and Esteban Carril, the Spaniard continues to harden his blows in the final stage of his adolescence.
The milestone is the consequence of a season that has immersed him in direct contact with the professional circuit, where he has shown his talent against more established figures in the locker room. Fighting to unlock the next level, Landaluce has managed to maintain a positive balance on the ITF World Tennis Tour (20-14) and win six of the 16 matches played on the ATP Challenger Tour, highlighting the quarterfinals signed in Alicante and Valencia.
Above all, the season has been a window to excitement. The Spaniard lived one of the most special moments of his career at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he had the opportunity to compete for the first time in an ATP Masters 1000 category event. The invitation to the main draw in his hometown allowed him to live the experience to face a former world Top 10 in the figure of Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
After making his debut at the ATP Tour level in the final draw of Gijón last season, the junior champion of the 2022 US Open multiplied high-flying experiences this year, adding to the dream of the Caja Mágica the experiences in the previous phase of the ATP 500 in Barcelona and in the main draw of the ATP 250 in Umag.
With his sights set on 2024 of sporting consolidation, Landaluce continues to write small victories on his way to the ATP Tour.
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/landaluce-llega-top-500
