Venue Location
Club Deportivo Universidad Católica Tennis Complex (Center Court and surrounding clay courts), Santiago, Chile. The venue is a modern tennis facility located in the Las Condes area of Santiago, easily accessible via public transport (RED buses C02, C09, C27, 421, etc., from Los Dominicos metro station). Outdoor clay courts, typical high-altitude conditions that favor baseline play with slightly faster bounce than sea-level clay.
Main-draw action officially runs February 23 – March 1, 2026. Qualifying began earlier (February 21 per official tournament site). First-round matches on Monday, February 23, started in the early afternoon local Santiago time (CLT, UTC-3), with sessions continuing into the evening. Example start times from Monday’s order of play (converted): approximately 11:00 AM ET / 1:00 PM CLT onward, with later matches (e.g., Jarry) in prime evening slots. The tournament concludes with the final on Sunday, March 1.
Prize Money & Ranking Points
$700,045 total commitment. Winner: 250 ATP points / $132,000+ (approx.); Runner-up: 165 points; SF: 100; QF: 50; R16: 25; R28: 0 (with 13/7/0 for qualifiers).Tournament History
28th edition (some sources list as 27th due to occasional gaps) of the Chile Open, part of the traditional South American “Golden Swing” clay-court block. Held annually in Santiago since the early 1990s (with occasional interruptions). Clay-court specialist paradise: Fernando González owns the record with four titles (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009). Recent winners highlight regional dominance:
- 2025: Laslo Djere
- 2024: Sebastián Báez
- 2023: Nicolás Jarry
- 2022: Pedro Martínez
- 2021: Cristian Garín
- 2020: Thiago Seyboth Wild
Argentines and Chileans have won the vast majority of titles in the last decade. The event consistently produces strong home support and upsets from local wild cards.
Injury Report / Withdrawals
- Laslo Djere (2025 defending champion) – withdrew, replaced by Thiago Agustín Tirante.
- Lorenzo Sonego – out, not replaced in main draw.
- Alexandre Müller – out, replaced by Yannick Hanfmann.
- Carlos Taberner – out, replaced by Román Andrés Burruchaga.
Matteo Berrettini is competing after a recent injury setback and is still “finding his feet” on clay. No other major reported injuries among the active field as of February 23; several players (Jarry, Tabilo, Garín) are coming off the full South American swing with normal fatigue but no acute issues noted in official reports or Monday’s play summaries.
Seeds & Player Matchups (Current Main Draw – 28-player format, 4 byes for top seeds)
Top 8 Seeds (rankings as of mid-February 2026):
- Francisco Cerúndolo (ARG, 19) – Bye
- Luciano Darderi (ITA, 21) – Bye
- Sebastián Báez (ARG, 32) – Bye
- Camilo Ugo Carabelli (ARG, 46) – Bye
- Tomás Martín Etcheverry (ARG, 51)
- Matteo Berrettini (ITA, 57)
- Francisco Comesaña (ARG, 63)
- Alejandro Tabilo (CHI, 68)
Notable First-Round / Early Matchups (as of February 23 results and schedule):
- Yannick Hanfmann def. Dušan Lajović 6-0 6-3 (Hanfmann advances to face 4th seed Ugo Carabelli).
- Andrea Pellegrino (Q) def. Alex Barrena (Q) 6-2 2-6 6-1.
- Francisco Comesaña def. Pedro Martínez 6-4 2-6 7-6(4).
- (WC) Nicolás Jarry (CHI) vs. (Q) Dino Prizmic – evening match, huge home support for Jarry.
- (WC) Matías Soto (CHI) vs. Vilius Gaubas (LL) or similar.
- Francesco Passaro (WC) vs. Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (Q).
- Emilio Nava vs. (6) Matteo Berrettini.
- Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) vs. Tomás Barrios Vera (CHI) – all-Chilean clash.
- Potential R16 highlights: Cerúndolo vs. winner of Moller/Burruchaga/Passaro section; Báez path opens favorably; Darderi bye into R16.
Heavy Argentine presence (Cerúndolo, Báez, Comesaña, Etcheverry, Ugo Carabelli, etc.) sets up multiple intra-Argentine battles. Home wild cards Jarry, Tabilo, Soto, and Garín add local flavor and crowd energy.
Recent Form (Key Players – Clay Focus, Post-Australian Open / Buenos Aires / Rio Swing)
- Francisco Cerúndolo (+350 favorite): Excellent clay form; strong Buenos Aires showing and solid AO run. Consistent top-20 performer on dirt.
- Luciano Darderi: Breakout clay season; reached final of Argentina Open recently, showing elite movement and baseline power.
- Sebastián Báez: Clay-court merchant; 2024 Santiago champion, multiple finals on the swing, dangerous anywhere in South America.
- Alejandro Tabilo (home favorite): Three-time ATP champion overall; reached Santiago final in 2024 + doubles title; solid Challenger results and quarters in Buenos Aires/Rio. Crowd factor huge.
- Matteo Berrettini: Returning from injury; still rebuilding confidence on clay but possesses big serve and can dominate when healthy.
- Nicolás Jarry: Struggling in 2026 (0-2 early record) but 2023 Santiago champion and perennial home threat.
- Emerging names: Ignacio Buse on a hot streak; Yannick Hanfmann dominant in R1 (22 winners, just 3 games lost); Francisco Comesaña and Camilo Ugo Carabelli very comfortable on clay.
Overall trend: Players coming off strong Buenos Aires/Rio performances (Cerúndolo, Darderi, Báez) enter with momentum. Home Chileans get extra energy but recent form varies.
Betting Trends & Insights
- Clay specialists dominate: 80%+ of recent winners and finalists are proven dirt players (Argentines especially). Books heavily favor recent South American swing performers.
- Home advantage mixed: Tabilo and Jarry receive heavy public money, but historical data shows they rarely convert unless in peak form (Jarry’s poor 2026 start caps his odds).
- Value on proven Santiago performers: Báez (+700) and Tabilo (+1200) offer strong each-way appeal given venue history. Hanfmann (recent dominant win, +2500) is a live longshot.
- Upset potential high in early rounds: Qualifiers and lucky losers (Prizmic, Vallejo, Pellegrino) have already shown competitiveness; several R32 matches feature near-even or flipped lines from pre-tournament expectations.
Overall Outlook
Francisco Cerúndolo enters as the rightful favorite with the best blend of ranking, recent clay results, and draw position (bye + manageable path). However, the depth of Argentine clay courters (Báez, Darderi, Comesaña, Ugo Carabelli) plus home-crowd boosts for Tabilo and Jarry make this one of the most open ATP 250s on the calendar. Expect grinding baseline battles, potential upsets from in-form qualifiers, and a very likely all-South-American final. The event is perfectly positioned to crown another regional champion on the beloved Santiago clay.
