TODI/STARNBERG, August 17, 2024
Carlos Taberner of Spain and Santiago Rodriguez Taverna from Argentina are the finalists of the 16th edition of the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Todi | Sidernestor Tennis Cup. Friday nighttime semifinals delivered a thrilling spectacle at the ATP Challenger Tour 75 tournament organized by MEF Tennis Events, with both matches going to three sets and nearly five hours of tennis in total.
The crowd at the Central Court of the Tennis Club Todi 1971 first witnessed Rodriguez Taverna coming from behind to defeat Cezar Cretu of Romania 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Then it was top seed Stefano Travaglia‘s turn, who was defeated by former World No. 85 Taberner 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
With two finals in the last two weeks, Taberner is clearly in top form. The 27-year-old from Valencia will play his second consecutive final following his runner-up finish in Cordenons, where he lost to Vilius Gaubas.
🌪️ I N A R R E S T A B I L E 🌪️@Carlos_Taberner è il secondo finalista degli Internazionali di Tennis Città di Todi Sidernestor Tennis Cup 👏👏#tennis #InternazionaliTodi #ATPChallenger #Todi pic.twitter.com/lejYYa2nar
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) August 16, 2024
“I’m very happy with this battle,” explained the World No. 261. “Throughout the match, I tried to play deep and make things difficult for Stefano, and in the end, I slowly found a way to break down his game.”
The upcoming match against Rodriguez Taverna will be Taberner’s 11th Challenger final, having previously won six titles. “My goal is always to find a way to hurt my opponent, and I’ll try to do the same tomorrow. I know Santiago very well, and we’re friends—I know he’ll put a lot of heart into it. I consider myself a fighter who never gives up, and I want to do the same and hope for a good outcome.”
Vamos Santi! 🦁@santyelduke roars into his first Challenger final of the season with a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over Cretu in Todi#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/RiQwXkUcqQ
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 16, 2024
After reaching (and losing) his third ATP Challenger final in Barletta in 2023, Rodriguez Taverna is now chasing his second career title in the category, once again on Italian soil: “I’m thrilled to do well in Italy. I love this country, and the results show that I perform well here. It’s great to have made it to the final in Todi,” he said.
