Matteo Arnaldi is back in Sardinia. The Ligurian tennis player, coming off a difficult period, won the Challenger 175 on the courts of Monte Urpinu, defeating Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 in the final in one hour and 44 minutes.
Arnaldi, formerly number 30 in the world but now ranked 105th, played a high-level match against the highly-rated Pole, a former top ten player, winner of the Miami Open and a Wimbledon semifinalist.
The Italian didn't get off to a good start, falling behind 3-1 early on but fighting back to close out the set 6-4 on the eighth set point. The second set played out similarly, with Hurkacz immediately taking a 2-0 lead, but Arnaldi first caught up and then broke in the fifth game to take the lead to 6-4.
Arnaldi succeeds Argentine Mariano Navone, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the 2024 final. The 25-year-old from Sanremo is back to win a title three years after his last, the Challenger won in Germany.
The Sardegna Open featured impressive numbers and a very high level, boasting some excellent players for a Challenger. Among them was Matteo Berrettini, who performed admirably, losing in the quarterfinals to Hurkacz himself, in a repeat of the 2021 Wimbledon semifinal.
(Unioneonline)