Matteo Arnaldi completed a remarkable week at the Sardegna Open, beating former top-10 player Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 in the final to claim his fifth Challenger title and his most meaningful one yet. The Italian arrived in Cagliari full of doubts about his fitness and his season, carrying just three wins from fourteen matches, and leaves with a trophy, a pain-free foot and renewed belief that he can climb back towards the top of the game. For Hurkacz, the defeat caps a productive week nonetheless - the Pole moves up to 53rd in the rankings on Monday and heads to Rome with valuable clay-court matches under his belt.

Arnaldi crowns Cagliari comeback with title

It was a final that told the story of Arnaldi's entire week in miniature - fall behind, find the answer, finish strong. Hurkacz broke first in both sets, leading 3-1 in the opener and 2-0 in the second, but each time Arnaldi responded with an immediate break back, refusing to let the Pole settle into any kind of rhythm.

That was the tactical key to the match. Arnaldi returned superbly throughout, putting pressure on almost every Hurkacz service game and denying him the free points he had relied on all tournament. Without those easy holds, Hurkacz looked increasingly uncomfortable, unable to impose his usual first-strike patterns on a slow clay court against an opponent who kept dragging him into longer rallies.

"I returned very well today and put pressure on him in almost all of his service games," Arnaldi said. "He struggled because he wasn't getting the free points he usually does. That was the key that got me the win."

Once Arnaldi got his nose in front in each set, Hurkacz could not find a way back. The Italian closed out the match serving at love, punctuating it with a forehand winner and a long, cathartic roar.

"It's a huge satisfaction - it's been three years since I won a tournament," Arnaldi said afterwards. "I arrived here with so many doubts, especially about the foot and how the year was going. I couldn't play the way I wanted, results weren't coming. But here I started slowly, then kept improving, and now I have confidence in myself again."

The physical progress was perhaps even more significant than the trophy. After six months of interrupted training and persistent foot pain, Arnaldi played four matches in five days and felt no discomfort in the final two. "The more I played, the better I felt. I hope this can be a foundation for the next tournaments too."

A week that changed everything

Arnaldi's run through Cagliari reads like a player rediscovering himself in real time. A grinding three-set comeback against Arnaboldi in the first round, a dominant display against Cerundolo, a rollercoaster against Borges that lasted over three hours, surviving a 1-6 opening set against Cadenasso in the semis, and then his most complete performance in the final.

Working with new coach Fabio Colangelo, Arnaldi pointed to the simple ability to train consistently as the difference-maker. "Before, I was training an hour a day. Now I've been able to do two or three hours, and that made the difference." He was candid about how close he came to skipping the tournament entirely. "I was unsure whether to come. I'd had so many losses and so many doubts. This tournament gives me a lot of confidence - it shows me that when I'm healthy, I can still compete at a high level."

For Hurkacz, the week was far from wasted. Despite leading early in both sets of the final, the Pole could not sustain his level against Arnaldi's relentless returning. He heads to Rome to defend last year's quarter-final points, promoted to 53rd in the ATP rankings after three solid wins in Cagliari including victories over Berrettini and Nava. The former world number 6. has displayed a great performance in serving metrics, being considered as a favorite against Arnaldi who needed to work harded to hold his games on the road to final. Despite leading in both set with break advantage, Hurkacz got defeated by Arnaldi's grit which helped him to get through the draw into the final and to ultimately claim the trophy in a big final.

The Sardegna Open itself closes its third edition with its strongest week yet - sold-out crowds throughout, quality well above Challenger standard.

Ranking movements

The winner of Sardegna Open has earned 175 points, but in the updated ranking list on Monday, Arnaldi drops down by 3 places as he was a quarterfinalist in ATP 1000 Madrid Open last year. This run was worth 200 points, so the Italian has compensated as much of the loss as possible, as he crashed out from Madrid qualifying in first round. Hubert Hurkacz has gained 100 net points and 10 places moving up to 53th which is another step on comeback road for the 29 years-old Pole.

The semifinalists earn their career's highest ranks - Roman Andres Burruchaga advances from 59th to 57th, while Gianluca Cadenasso achieves the mileston. The 21 years-old wild card receiver gains a huge boost of 36 spots, moving up to 196th place - his first time in top 200 of ATP Rankings.