Wednesday at the Sardegna Open delivered exactly the kind of drama this tournament has been producing all week. In front of another packed house at the Tennis Club Cagliari, Mattia Bellucci knocked out fifth seed Lorenzo Sonego in a three-set battle that showcased the kind of tennis you rarely see at Challenger level. Matteo Arnaldi found a different kind of relief - a comeback win over Federico Arnaboldi that gave him his first victory in months as he fights his way back from a persistent foot injury. With the round of 16 now set, Thursday promises a loaded schedule headlined by Berrettini against top seed Navone and three Italians facing Argentine opposition.
Bellucci outlasts Sonego in clash worthy of the main tour
Mattia Bellucci made a statement at the Sardegna Open, upsetting fifth seed Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 1-6 7-5 in a match that had no business being a first-round Challenger encounter. The quality from both players was exceptional - Bellucci took the opener with creative, varied shotmaking, only for Sonego to flatten the second set 6-1 with the kind of aggressive baseline play that once made him a top-20 regular.
The decider was tight throughout, with neither player willing to give an inch from the back of the court. Bellucci found the decisive break at 6-5, closing it out despite committing 6 double faults across the match - a sign of how much risk he was willing to take. For Sonego, who had spoken at his press conference about needing match rhythm after two months out with a wrist injury, the loss is a setback but not entirely unexpected at this stage of his comeback. Bellucci moves on to face wild card Gianluca Cadenasso in the second round.
Arnaldi finds relief in Cagliari comeback
The scoreline reads 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, but for Matteo Arnaldi the significance of beating Federico Arnaboldi goes far beyond a first-round win at a Challenger. The 25-year-old, who was part of Italy's 2023 Davis Cup-winning team, has barely played in recent months due to a foot problem that kept derailing his training.
"The last six months have been difficult," Arnaldi said in his post-match press conference. "I would try to play, then feel pain and have to stop. After Barcelona I finally started having good training sessions." He was candid about where his game is right now - "I'm not happy with how I played, but that's normal. I can't expect more at this point" - but took satisfaction in staying in the fight when things got complicated. Arnaboldi had the better of the first set and stayed competitive deep into the second, but Arnaldi's experience told from 4-4 in the second set onwards, reeling off six straight games to put the match away. He faces seventh seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo next.
Cinà shows his quality but Cerundolo finds a way
Federico Cinà gave seventh seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo everything he could handle before falling 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in nearly three hours. The 19-year-old from Palermo, son of Roberta Vinci's former coach Francesco Cinà, raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set and took it in a tiebreak with aggressive, varied tennis. He created 32 pressure points to Cerundolo's 28 and hit 7 aces, but the Argentine's experience gradually shifted the match. A break at 4-4 in the second set turned the tide, and Cerundolo controlled the decider. Despite the loss, Cinà showed he already has the game to compete with players inside the top 100.
Pellegrino, Cadenasso advance; Nava benefits from Džumhur retirement
Andrea Pellegrino produced a gutsy comeback against qualifier Stefanos Sakellaridis, losing the first set 2-6 before finding his serve and fighting back to win 6-4, 6-4. The Italian had to defend 27 pressure points while creating only 18, but his composure in the clutch moments made the difference. He draws fourth seed Roman Andres Burruchaga in the second round.
Gianluca Cadenasso dispatched lucky loser Lorenzo Carboni 6-3, 6-1 in a nervy affair with plenty of unforced errors from both sides, while Emilio Nava advanced when Damir Džumhur retired trailing 4-6, 0-3. Nava will face Hubert Hurkacz in the round of 16.
Thursday preview: Berrettini-Navone headlines loaded round of 16
The second round brings a full day of action at the Tennis Club Cagliari, with all four top seeds entering the draw after getting byes in opening round and all eight round of 16 matches scheduled to be played on Thursday. The headline act is Matteo Berrettini against top seed Mariano Navone, the defending champion who won last year's edition. Three Italians face Argentine opponents - alongside Berrettini-Navone, Pellegrino takes on fourth seed Burruchaga and Arnaldi meets Cerundolo. Elsewhere, Garin and third seed Borges renew acquaintances in what looks like one of the tightest matchups of the round, while Kovacevic and Giron meet in an all-American affair.
Navone comes here with justified hopes of title defense from 2024, as he won his maiden ATP title on clay in Bucharest three weeks ago. His 29-14 record on clay in last 52 weeks is way above standards of Berrettini who is 7-8 on the least favorite surface of the Italian. However, the former world number 6 showed an amazing grit during first round encounter against Patrick Kypson, winning after three hours long marathon by 7-5 in decisive tiebreak.
M. Navone (1) vs. M. Berrettini match preview
Second seed Adrian Mannarino will try to get breakthrough on clay, entering Sardegna Open as second seed with absymal series of 8 losses on clay in last 52 weeks without any single victory. The very well serving Jesper De Jong will be tough opponent to overcome, after coming back from set down against Stefano Travaglia on Monday.
A. Mannarino (2) vs. J. De Jong match preview
Cristian Garin will try to remind his old great clay court quality against third seed Nuno Borges. The discrepancy of mileage on clay between both is huge - Garin won 38 out of 51 matches played on all levels, while Borges played just 15, winning 6 of those. However, the Portuguese was able to defeat Casper Ruud in Roland Garros last year, just one month after the Norwegian won his ATP 1000 title in Madrid.
N. Borges (3) vs. C. Garin match preview
Sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz will play against another American opponent after getting breakthrough against the US citizen in first round. The Pole defeated Zachary Svajda in straight sets after losing four consecutive matches against the Americans earlier in 2026. Former Wimbledon semifinalist will have a great opportunity to start the new - this time winning - series, playing the back-to-back match against US representative Emilio Nava, ranked 116th in ATP list.
H. Hurkacz (6) vs. E. Nava match preview
M. Giron (8) vs. A. Kovacevic match preview