Ignacio Buse of Lima, Peru stunned the tennis world on Saturday by winning the 2026 Hamburg Open. In the final, Buse defeated Tommy Paul of the United States, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. Buse’s win was considered a significant upset as Buse was ranked 57th in the world, and Paul, a 2023 Australian Open semifinalist, was seeded sixth in Germany, and had a world ranking of number 26. With the win, Buse is now ranked 31st in the world.
Buse had the minor statistical advantage from a service perspective in the final. He had three aces and one double fault. Paul had one ace and three double faults.
Paul was one of two seeded players Buse defeated in Hamburg. Buse also beat Flavio Cobolli of Italy, 6-2, 7-5 in the first round.
The Hamburg Open is part of the ATP 500 series. It is the last significant stop on the ATP Tour before the second major of the year, the French Open.
What was also noteworthy of Buse’s win in Hamburg was the fact he was a qualifier. He was the first qualifier to win an ATP event in 2026. The last qualifier to win an ATP event was Valentin Vacherot of Monaco at the Shanghai Masters in October.
It is also uncommon for a Peruvian to win an ATP title. The last male tennis player from Peru to win on the ATP Tour was Luis Horna, who defeated two-time Olympic gold medalist Nicolas Massu of Chile, 7-5, 6-3, in the final of the 2007 Movistar Open in Vina del Mar, Chile. Massu won gold in men’s singles and doubles tennis at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
At the French Open, Buse will face Russian Andrey Rublev, the 11th seed, Rublev is known throughout the tennis world for going 0-10 in grand slam quarterfinal matches. This will be their first ever meeting head-to-head.
