ATP gira sudamericana de tierra batida ATP Santiago 2026

Earthquake on the South American tour: the Chile Open also plans to switch to hard court

Fernando Murciego - 1 Nov 2026
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Earthquake on the South American tour: the Chile Open also considers moving to hard court. Source: Getty

The South American tour could undergo a historic transformation in the coming years. After the plans of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro to gradually move away from clay courts were announced, the ATP 250 in Santiago de Chile is also not ruling out a change in surface.

This was acknowledged by Catalina Fillol, director of the ChileOpen, in an interview with Séptimo Game, where she confirmed that the organization is already considering different scenarios for 2028. "The 2027 edition of the ChileOpen will be played on clay, but we are evaluating various scenarios for 2028, including a possible change of surface," Fillol explained. This statement confirms that the future of the traditional South American tour is more open than ever and that clay could lose much of its prominence in the ATP calendar.

The South American tour, beyond clay courts

The head of the Chilean tournament recognized that the changes the ATP is preparing for 2028 force organizers to anticipate and explore new possibilities. In that regard, she considers it essential to maintain coordination with other tournaments in the region to ensure Santiago's continuity within the circuit.

"Our goal is to adapt to the evolution of the circuit and create the best conditions to continue attracting players and strengthening the tournament," she added. Fillol also wanted to highlight the investment that Rio de Janeiro is making in its facilities and acknowledged that Chile faces the same challenge of improving its infrastructure to be prepared for the new times.

On the other hand, the director confirmed that there have been talks with Casper Ruud and Holger Rune to try to have both in future editions, although neither has yet confirmed their participation in Santiago. What seems evident is that South American tennis is at a crossroads. What was for decades a virtually exclusive clay tour could become a completely different scenario starting in 2028.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Terremoto en la gira sudamericana: el Chile Open también contempla pasarse a pista dura