CAP CANA CHALLENGER NEWS & NOTES
*A reminder why I am doing some Challenger previews in 2026. It’s to help further the work that Damian Kust did in covering and promoting Challengers. He was a beacon among our online tennis community who unfortunately passed away earlier this year. I do this to honor his memory and try to learn more about the doubles players who play more at the Challenger level right now.
*2026 marks just the second year of this Challenger event. Last year, it was an all-unseeded final with Escobar-Hidalgo winning the inaugural titles 7-6(5), 6-4 over Nouza-Rikl. Escobar-Hidalgo were 2.19 (+119) underdogs in the title match.
*Their win was just one of three underdog scores out of the 13 completed matches in Cap Cana. The other two both came in the quarters at 2.03 (+103) and 2.13 (+113). Only one of the dog scores involved a seeded pair losing.
*Speaking of seeds, only one of four made it as far as the semifinals. Three of the four were eliminated in the quarterfinals. That means there were zero one and dones amongst the seeds in round one a year ago. More on that in a bit below.
*Super tie breaks did make the rounds in Cap Cana in 2025. Five of the 13 matches needed the extra frame to settle. Two came in round one with two more in the semifinals and one quarterfinal STB. Three of the five matches with STBs did involve a seeded pair.
*The 2026 field is interesting with a few familiar names to doubles enthusiasts, but not as plentiful as the more popular Phoenix Challenger. Phoenix of course serves more as a bridge for teams that bow out in Indian Wells early or are looking for play in between IW and Miami. In Cap Cana, the field is led by (1)Gonzalez. You’ll recognize those names as a pair with a handful of ATP main draw matches this year (2-5).
More familiarity may ring out for the second seeded Germans Schnaitter-Wallner. That pair made the semifinals in Rotterdam earlier this year and have taken sets off of Heliovaara-Patten, Harrison-Skupski, Krawietz-Puetz and Bolelli-Vavassori this year. They also played here last year, so a big plus for the #2 seeds. Rounding out the seeds are Kirkov-Stevens and Gille-Verbeek. There’s also an intriguing young singles player named Hubert Hurkacz playing doubles this week.
With the success of the unseeded pairs here in 2025, it is certainly smart to take a look at the unseeded field again this time around. Here are the pairs that could prove tough to beat.
Balaji-Oberleitner
These two do nothing but win at this level. In 2026, they’ve already racked up three titles this season. They’ve also gotten more experience at the ATP level that should continue to help them grow. They made round two in Melbourne and took a set off Bolelli-Vavassori in Dubai. Expect them to be a factor.
Reynolds-Watt
Plenty of experience with these two who have teamed up to go 56-26 since the start of last season. They are 8-6 so far in 2026which includes three Challenger semifinals on two different surfaces. Nine of their 14 matches have gone to super tie breaks, so this is a duo that is rarely not fighting for a win.
Melo-Rojer/Reymond-Sanchez
Two seasoned vets in Melo-Rojer as they pair up for just the second time since 2021. Things did not go well that year when they went 2-8. They did look competitive losing to Luz-Matos in Buenos Aires in their 1st match together in 2026. They seem as capable as any of putting together a big run in their quarter. That is if they survive Reymond-Sanchez in round one. That French pair is 14-5 this year with two Challenger finals. They can ball.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
The seeds look strong on paper, but could any be prone to an unexpected upset? Most look to have pretty decent matchups, but here are a couple that stick out.
(1)Gonzalez-Pel
They play more at the ATP level, but their record this year indicates they aren’t untouchable. The top seeds will square off with Aussies Schoolkate-Sweeny. They have a lot of experience together over the years. This will be their first partnership since 2023 though, so it may be too big an ask. Still, this could well be more interesting than most think.
(2)Schnaitter-Wallner
They get Dominican wild cards Bertran-Hardt. They don’t have a ton of experience, but they do have Davis Cup experience that shows they can play in bigger settings. Their German opposition might be seen as more experienced, but this is their first dip down into the Challengers this year. They have played all ATP main draw events until now. Could they have trouble getting up for that, while the Dominicans will surely be amped to play at home?
DRAW PREVIEW
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TOP HALF
The first quarter is an interesting one with top seeds Gonzalez-Pel leading the charge. They have played exclusively at the ATP level, but had struggled a bit early at 2-5. Even their two wins required going the distance, so it seems like they could be prone to a dip here and there. Aussies Schoolkate-Sweeny are the opposition. They saw some doubles success a few years back, but this is their 1st time playing in three years. If they can rediscover their chemistry quickly, perhaps they push for the win. The match opposite features Hubert Hurkacz dropping down to play doubles here this week alongside countryman Terczynski. They battle Cukierman-Hildebrand who have already played a couple tournaments together in 2026. That could give them an early edge. This quarter looks fairly open to me, so it’s going to be a real grinder.
The second quarter houses (3)Kirkov-Stevens. We are talking about a pair with a Challenger final to their credit this year and a solid semifinal run when they stepped up to the ATP level again in Acapulco. They square off against first timers Garin-Mejia. Garin rarely plays doubles and Mejia will be making his 2026 doubles debut in this tournament. Have to like the seeds in that one. The other match in this quadrant sees Balaji-0berleitner up against Behar-Paris. I talked about the success of the Balaji-Oberleitner partnership earlier. Behar-Paris have not paired previously, but both are regulars on the doubles scene with Paris doing most of his work at Challengers. While a Kirkov-Stevens/Balaji-Oberleitner quarterfinal is enticing, it’s far from being set in stone.
TOP HALF FORECAST
Looking the two seeds, I side with Kirkov-Stevens having the better shot at getting to a final out of this half. Kirkov-Stevens have the arguably tougher path, but I’m not totally sold on Gonzalez-Pel. The Cukierman-Hildebrand pairing might be one to watch as sleepers with Balaji-Oberleitner being the top choice amongst the unseeded pairs in this half. I would be more surprised to see both seeds in the semifinals, so I do think there will be a surprise or two in this top half.
SEMIFINAL PIX: Cukierman-Hildebrand vs Balaji-Oberleitner
BOTTOM HALF
Quarter three starts with (4)Gille-Verbeek as the seeds. We’ve seen them again as a pair to start 2026 after a successful part-time deal last year where they went 13-2. So far, they are only 2-4 this year. I do like them over Barrios Vera-Burruchaga with minimal fuss. The other match in this quarter has Reynolds-Watt versus Behar-Paris. Reynolds-Watt have time together already that should aid their bid for the win. However, both Behar and Paris are solid doubles players, so their first time pairing could come off good …. or bad. Reynolds-Watt are the ones to watch. They already own a win this year against Gille-Verbeek, so they won’t be overmatched in this section.
The final quarter is where (2)Schnaitter-Wallner lead the way. The Germans open with locals Bertran-Hardt. Can home cooking propel the Dominicans to an upset? I think it’s a tall order against a solid team, but home soil can do funny things for players. The survivor will battle either Melo-Rojer or Reymond-Sanchez. That is a coin flip. Reymond-Sanchez have the chemistry already shown this season and last year too. They might just take this one. If Schnaitter-Wallner harness their serves consistently, they will be hard to beat in this quarter. I’d look at Reymond-Sanchez as potential spoilers.
BOTTOM HALF FORECAST
I feel a bit stronger about Schnaitter-Wallner’s chances as a seeded pair in this half. The Germans have a workable draw if their focus and desire is here for the week. If not, there are plenty of pairs in this half that will take advantage. I may be overlooking Gille-Verbeek here, but they are one of those pairs that seems to play with smaller margins with a lot of tie break sets. This year those seem to have gone against them a bit. Look to Reynolds-Watt and the survivor of that Melo-Rojer/Reymond-Sanchez as the sleepers.
SEMIFINAL PIX: Reynolds-Watt vs (2)Schnaitter-Wallner
A lot of Challenger doubles draws really open up. Last week alone saw three unseeded pairs winning Challenger titles. That means seeds don’t always mean much, although these seeds do all have good experience at the ATP level. I feel like the bottom half might have the better chance to produce a seeded finalist, while I look at the top half breeding another unseeded contender. It’s always interesting to cover and dissect Challenger tournaments.
Schnaitter-Wallner
Balaji-Oberleitner
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