ATP Challenger Rome: First teenagers' final since 2017 - and the next Italian youngster on the march!
When it comes to tennis, Italy is currently on the advance: At the Challenger tournament in Rome, the next teenager is preparing to cause a sensation ...
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: May 01, 2021, 08:38 pm
In fact, it has already caused a sensation: 18-year-old Flavio Cobolli has made it to the final of the Roma Garden Open II, and in a splendid way. Cobolli only got into the main field via wildcard and won the final without losing a set, after all against names like Steven Diez, Danilo Petrovic, Andrea Pellegrino and Cem Ilkel.
Remarkable: Cobolli is only listed in 639th place in the ATP ranking, in Rome he only played in his fourth ATP Challenger main field ...
Italy with ten players in the top 100
Italy apparently has another promising youngster up its sleeve, after 19-year-old Jannik Sinner, world number 18. and for many an upcoming number 1, as well as the also only 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti, who recently cracked the Top 100 and is currently ranked 83rd. In general, the Italian men listed ten (!) Players among the top 100. And behind that, too, it looks promising: a total of 36 Italian players are among the top 500.
Cobolli has so far drawn attention to himself in the Juniors division, especially in doubles, in 2020 he won the French Open alongside Swiss youngster Dominic Stricker, his best individual result at the Junior Grand Slam level is a quarter-finals in Paris in 2019.
Cobolli in the final against Cordoba winner Cerundolo
In the final in Rome, Cobolli will meet the Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo , currently number 176 in the world and only 19 years old. Cerundolo last caused a sensation at the ATP tournament in Cordoba , where he - at that time as number 335 - won the title from qualifying, with four wins over top 100 competitors.
It is the first teenagers' final at an ATP Challenger tournament since 2007.