The Rio Open ATP 500, the biggest tennis tournament in South America, announced this Wednesday (21) the official list of 24 players who will compete in the singles bracket of the 12th edition of the event. World number 5, Italian Lorenzo Musetti leads the list, while Rio’s João Fonseca (32nd in the ranking) will be seed 4. This will be Fonseca’s fourth participation in the event, played on clay courts. The current champion, Argentine Sebastian Baez (36th) will head group 6. The Rio Open will take place between the 14th and 22nd of February, at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, in the south of Rio de Janeiro.
Three other tennis players from the top 50 will also be seeded: Argentines Francisco Cerundolo (21st) and Camilo Ugo Carabelli (49th), Italians Luciano Darderi (25th) and Lorenzo Sonego (40th). The list also includes big names in world tennis, such as Italian Matteo Berretini, former number six and three-time Davis Cup champion, who competed for the second time on clay in Rio.
Another major attraction will be Frenchman Gaël Monfils, who will compete as a guest tennis player. About to turn 40 in September, he announced his retirement at the end of the 2026 season and included the Rio Open in the circuit’s farewell tour. A contemporary of icons Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokivic, the Frenchman has collected 13 singles titles, won over a 20-year career.
✨ RIO OPEN 2026 LINE-UP RELEASED ✨
The ATP has released the list of tennis players who will compete in the 12th edition of the biggest tennis tournament in South America, headed by world number 5 Lorenzo Musetti and, of course, our João Fonseca! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Z54AcrzxJH
— Rio Open (@RioOpenOficial) January 21, 2026
“We are very excited to see João Fonseca in action, at home, with this new status on the circuit. Last year everything was still very new. Today he is an established player among the best. This year we will also be excited about Monfils saying goodbye and choosing Rio to be part of this tour and see Musetti at his best, in addition to having the opportunity to discover new stories, new characters and continue developing tennis in Brazil,” said Luiz Carvalho, director of the tournament.
One of the highlights of the competition will be the awards ceremony: the trophies will be presented by the American Andre Agassi, former number 1 in the world, owner of eight Grand Slam titles and another 17 Masters 1000 titles.
The singles bracket will bring together 32 tennis players, 23 of which qualified directly due to their position in the world rankings. Another four tennis players will join after the qualifying (qualifying), scheduled for February 14th and 15th, also at the Jockey Club, with free entry. There are also three places for invitations from the organization and another reserved for ATP A+ tennis players. A last place called special exempt is intended for a tennis player who was unable to compete in the qualifying because I was competing in another tournament.
