The Sardegna Open heads into its grand finale after a semifinal day that stayed true to the tournament's script - more three-setters, more momentum swings, more drama on Centre Court. Both favourites survived scares to book their spots in Sunday's final, but neither made it easy. Matteo Arnaldi was bagelled in the opening set by wildcard Gianluca Cadenasso before experience took over in emphatic fashion, while Hubert Hurkacz found himself two points from elimination against Roman Andres Burruchaga before flipping the match with the kind of first-strike tennis that had been missing for nearly two sets.
Arnaldi survives scare, storms past Cadenasso into final
The all-Ligurian semi-final started in the most unexpected way possible. It was the younger, fearless Cadenasso who came out swinging, overwhelming Arnaldi with aggressive shotmaking and zero hesitation. Playing with nothing to lose, the wildcard dictated play from the start, constantly taking time away and breaking his opponent's rhythm. Arnaldi looked flat and out of sync, contributing to a stunning 1-6 opening set without holding serve once.
But the match turned sharply from the beginning of the second set. Arnaldi settled in, started absorbing Cadenasso's pace more effectively, extending rallies and gradually flipping the dynamic. The result was immediate and emphatic - 6-1 in his favour, mirroring the first set with roles completely reversed.
The opening game of the decider proved to be the key moment. Cadenasso had three break points and a chance to regain control, but Arnaldi held firm. "That first game of the third set was the turning point," Arnaldi explained. "I knew he would do everything to go up early, but I stayed focused on the break points. After that, I think the difference in experience showed." From there, frustration crept into Cadenasso's game, intensity dropped, and the contest slipped away into a one-sided 6-0 finish.
"I'm happy to reach a final again after three years," Arnaldi said. "My goal here was to compete and play multiple matches in a row - getting four matches in is very important." A rough start, a necessary adjustment, and a dominant finish - Arnaldi is back in a final, and doing it the hard way might make it even more meaningful.
Hurkacz turns it around, escapes Burruchaga's trap to reach the final
If there is one recurring theme in Hubert Hurkacz's week, it is slow starts - but this time he pushed it to the limit. The Pole found himself just two points away from defeat, with Burruchaga serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set after taking the opener 6-4.
For nearly two sets, Hurkacz was stuck in exactly the kind of match he wanted to avoid. Burruchaga dragged him into extended exchanges, disrupted his rhythm, and dictated the tempo in a physical battle that clearly favoured the Argentine. Hurkacz looked uncomfortable, unable to impose his usual first-strike tennis.
But right on the edge of elimination, the match flipped. Hurkacz finally found his patterns - bigger serving, quicker points, and a much more aggressive forehand to shorten rallies. Once he broke free from Burruchaga's baseline trap, the momentum shifted quickly. He saved the situation, took the second-set tiebreak 7-6(3), and carried that energy into the third set where an early break allowed him to take command and close out 6-3.
The contrast in styles was captured in one striking stat: 11 aces for Hurkacz, none for Burruchaga. In the end, Hurkacz needed nearly two sets to impose his identity, but once he did, there was only one player on the court.
Final preview: Arnaldi vs Hurkacz, contrast of styles for the Sardegna Open title
The final brings together two players who took very different paths to get here, and whose games could hardly be more contrasting. There are no previous meetings between Arnaldi and Hurkacz, adding intrigue to a matchup that feels finely balanced in dynamics if not on paper.
For Arnaldi, this is his seventh Challenger final and his second on Italian soil - a significant milestone given the way his season had been going. His ability to grow into matches could be crucial again. On the other side, Hurkacz returns to a final for the first time in a year, his last appearance at this stage dating back to Geneva in May 2025, where he pushed Novak Djokovic to three sets.
The tactical battle looks clear. Arnaldi may try to recreate parts of Burruchaga's game plan - extending rallies, varying rhythm, forcing Hurkacz into uncomfortable patterns on clay. For stretches of over an hour, the Argentine proved that approach can work. But Arnaldi brings something different: more creativity, more variation, and the undeniable boost of the home crowd.
If Hurkacz connects early with his serve and forehand, he remains the clear favourite. His ability to generate free points through aces has been a weapon all week. For Arnaldi, the path is narrower but clear - extend, resist, and capitalize on any dip in intensity from the Pole.
The performance chart from four matches played by each finalist this week in Cagliari displays the significant advantage of the Pole in serving metrics. Hurkacz has won 87% service games to Arnaldi's 75%, leading with 77% first serve points in compare to 69% recorded by Arnaldi and was more efficient in defending breakpoints (68% - 63%). The Pole has scored double-digit amount of aces in 3 out of 4 matches, never firing less than 8 serves without rival's response. Arnaldi does not relies on powerful serve so much - 5 aces against Nuno Borges in quarterfinal was his best in Cagliari this week.
Both the players have needed to work hard for success in return games - the Italian won 20% of those, Hurkacz just 16%. Their efficiency of taking the opportunities was also on quite low standards - Arnaldi won 35% pressure points produced on return, Hurkacz 33%. Pressure points stats prove that Hurkacz faces much less threat on serve, while the Italian owes his advance to the final for the exceptional grit. Arnaldi faced less pressure points on serve (2.05) than created on other side (1.70), which is really unusual stats record for the player who succeed to make into the final.
