Two Italian youngsters, Luca Nardi and Francesco Passaro, are making a push for the eight-player Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals after strong weeks on the ATP Challenger Tour. Nardi claimed his third ATP Challenger Tour title of the season (Forli, Lugano) in Mallorca, Spain, while Passaro reached the final at the Como Challenger.
Nardi, 19, outlasted Belgian Zizou Bergs Sunday in a three-set battle, 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5 to triumph at the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s.
Needing a deciding set in four out of his five matches, the Italian is the fifth player to win at least three Challenger Tour titles this year. Argentine Pedro Cachin and Briton Jack Draper lead the Challenger Tour with four titles this season while Nardi, Constant Lestienne, and Wu Yibing are tied with three titles each. The Pesaro native’s trio of titles leads the group of seven teenagers who have claimed a Challenger title in 2022.
Nardi improves to 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan and looks to continue climbing to claim his spot in Milan, Italy, where the world’s best 21-and-under players compete in the season finale Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The 19-year-old rises to a career-high mark No. 142 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
Bergs, seeded fourth, advanced to the final without dropping a set and climbs to a career-high 136 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
Earlier in the tournament, Abdullah Shelbayh made history by defeating top seed Dominic Stricker to become the first player from Jordan to win a match in ATP Challenger Tour history. Shelbayh advanced to the semi-finals before falling short to Bergs.
Jordan’s Shelbayh Makes ATP Challenger Tour History At Rafa Nadal Open
In Como, Italy, home favourite Passaro reached the final to improve to ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan.
German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe captured his ninth Challenger title and first since November 2020, dropping just one set all week and taking down Passaro 7-6(2), 6-4 to claim the Challenger Citta’ di Como.
“I came here with not many expectations and some really rough weeks recently,” Stebe said. “Finally it worked out, managed to win a few matches in a row, I’m super happy to win a tournament in almost two years.”
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe is a nine-time ATP Challenger Tour champion.” />
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe is a nine-time ATP Challenger Tour champion. Credit: Bettina Musatti
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