Cagliari (Italy) – Argentine Mariano Navone’s great season gained a new chapter this Sunday. After reaching the final of the Rio Open and Bucharest, he won the Cagliari challenger title, on Italian clay, defeating host Lorenzo Musetti, former number 15 in the world, in the final, with scores of 7/5 and 6/ 1 in 1h47 of departure.
At 23 years old, Navone reaches the sixth and biggest challenger title of his career. Big surprise in the current season, he had never played a single ATP match until this year and in his third tournament he was runner-up in the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro. He returned to compete in a final in Bucharest and did a semi in Marrakech, both 250 level events held in April.
No wonder, in just four months he gained almost 100 positions in the ranking, jumping from 125th in January to 31st in this Monday’s update, recording a new personal record. With 1,329 points, he is behind 30th place, the British Cameron Norrie, who will be just 21 points ahead of him. If he manages to maintain this position after the Masters 1000 in Rome, he could be seeded at Roland Garros.
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In turn, Lorenzo Musetti continues trying to recover after a season of ups and downs in 2023. After reaching the round of 16 at the Miami and Monte Carlo Masters and quarterfinals at the ATP 250 in Adelaide, he played in his first final of the year and will remain in 29th position in the ranking. His last title was at the ATP in Naples in October 2022.
Argentinian compares tournament to ATP 250
After the match, Mariano Navone spoke about the difficulties in achieving victory and compared the level of the Cagliari challenger with an elite event on the circuit. “It was a very difficult game, much more than the score says. We played almost two hours for a 7/5 and 6/1. I really enjoyed this week and my stay in Cagliari, where I won the most important title of my life in a tournament that looks like an ATP 250,” said the Argentine.
On the other hand, Musetti regretted having lost the serve right away, but valued his opponent’s performance. “Mariano was simply better than me and deserved to win. He played very well all week, he was very solid. I was broken in the first game and it wasn’t the start I expected. Difficult first set and then in the second I lost contact with him very early and that was it. My forehand didn’t work as I expected after yesterday’s victory. I made a lot of mistakes and an opponent like him is capable of making you pay for it. But I’m still happy with my week. I came here to try to find my best level again and I will go to Rome with a lot of confidence,” he said.
Tags: Navone overthrows Musetti Italy wins challenger
