Musetti, Navone set Top 50 battle in Cagliari Challenger final

Lorenzo Musetti treated an enthusiastic home crowd to his best performance of the week Saturday at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Cagliari, where the Italian was dominant in ousting Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-4. The 22-year-old will clash against Argentine Mariano Navone in the final.

Musetti, seeded second at the Sardegna Open, came flying out of the blocks and never looked back, striking the ball with conviction on a sun-baked court. The home favourite dropped serve just once all afternoon, with Galan breaking Musetti to love at 4-3 in the second set. The No. 29 in the PIF ATP Rankings quickly rebounded and sealed his spot in the championship match after one hour, 27 minutes.

“Today I was able to dictate from the start, especially with my forehand, it was really in shape,” Musetti said. “In the second set, I had many occasions to break his serve in the first games, but didn’t manage to do so. I got the break at 3-3, but then he raised his level. Got the break again at 4-4 and then I played a really good game to hold.

“For me it is a very important win, in terms of tennis and self confidence, which was lacking in the last weeks. To play as a favourite is never easy, but I've done well enough to reach my first final of the year, so I’m very glad.”

^{Lorenzo Musetti greets fans at a packed Tennis Club Cagliari after Saturday's victory. Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour}

The Cagliari Challenger final will be a battle between two Top 50 players. Musetti, aiming for his third Challenger crown and first title at any level since October 2022, faces World No. 41 Navone, who defeated eighth seed Luciano Darderi 6-3, 7-5 in the last four.

The 23-year-old Navone captured a season-leading five Challenger titles in 2023 and has made a statement on the ATP Tour this season, with final appearances in Rio de Janeiro and Bucharest. Navone, who was outside the Top 100 as recently as February, is up to a career-high No. 33 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Aix-en-Provence Challenger
Third seed Alejandro Tabilo reached his third final of the season across all levels Saturday at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole, where the Chilean rallied past qualifier Valentin Vacherot 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 after winning 81 per cent of his first-serve points and fighting off six of seven break points faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I’m very happy. I’m playing good tennis so hopefully I can keep it up tomorrow,” said the 26-year-old Tabilo, who faces Jaume Munar in the final.

^{Alejandro Tabilo during Saturday's semi-final in Aix-en-Provence. Credit: Nicolas Averty}

The Spaniard Munar has dropped just one set this week in southern France, ousting three of the Top 5 seeds along the way. The 26-year-old downed fourth seed Roman Safiullin 7-6(4), 6-3 in the last four to reach his first final of the year.

“I think I’ve played good tennis during the past couple days and now a big opportunity tomorrow to have a title again. I will recover, spend quality time with family tonight and get ready for tomorrow’s battle,” said Munar.

Fans can tune into Challenger TV to stream the ATP Challenger Tour 175 finals live and on demand at no cost. Tabilo and Munar begin at 3 p.m. Central European Time / 9 a.m. Eastern Time. In Cagliari, Musetti and Navone play not before 5:30 p.m. Central European Time / 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

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