MONZA/STARNBERG, April 5, 2026
Italian tennis continued to showcase its golden generation on the opening day of the Atkinsons Monza Open 2026, as seven of the nine Italians in qualifying advanced to the final round at the ATP Challenger 125 event held at Villa Reale Tennis.
A large crowd chose to spend Easter Sunday at the tennis courts in Monza, and the local players rewarded them with an impressive series of victories.
Among the most convincing winners was Federico Arnaboldi, who needed little more than an hour to dispatch Czech Petr Brunclik 6-3, 6-0. Arnaboldi will now face fellow Italian Fabrizio Andaloro, who also came through in three sets against Poland’s Tomasz Berkieta.
Federico Bondioli, fresh from reaching the first Challenger semifinal of his career in Naples last week, was forced to work much harder. The 20-year-old from Ravenna trailed Kazakhstan’s Denis Yevseyev 6-3, 4-2 before turning the match around with an inspired comeback to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Bondioli will now meet another Italian, Andrea Guerrieri, for a place in the main draw. Guerrieri defeated experienced former top-40 player Radu Albot from Moldova 7-5, 6-2. The match will create an all-Italian left-handed duel between Emilia and Romagna, with Guerrieri hailing from Correggio and Bondioli from Ravenna.
Filippo Romano also came from behind to keep his tournament alive. Coached by Gipo Arbino, the Ligurian was trailing India’s Manas Dhamne 3-1 in the deciding set before winning five consecutive games to seal a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory. Romano will next face Austria’s Sandro Kopp in the final round of qualifying.
Carlo Alberto Caniato and Jacopo Vasami also advanced after hard-fought three-set matches. Caniato defeated Germany’s Rudolf Molleker 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and will now take on Slovakian veteran Norbert Gombos.
Vasami, one of the standout young talents in Italian tennis, once again impressed in Monza. The 17-year-old from Rome, who had already made an impact at the tournament in 2025, delighted a packed Centre Court crowd with a dramatic 7-6, 1-6, 7-6 win over Martin Krumich from the Czech Republic. Showing both composure and maturity, Vasami will now face Germany’s Henri Squire for a place in the main draw.
Squire advanced by defeating local 17-year-old Van Son Didoni 6-3, 6-1 in the final match of the day. Didoni, who trains at Villa Reale Tennis with the V-Team, started strongly and led 3-1 early on, but the German’s greater experience eventually proved decisive.
Final round of qualifying and start of the main draw
Monday’s Easter Monday schedule in Monza will feature a mix of qualifying and main-draw action.
One of the most anticipated matches of the opening round will see third seed Mattia Bellucci, currently ranked world No. 73, take on Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic on Centre Court. Lajovic is a former top-30 player, a two-time ATP Tour champion and was runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2019.
Another intriguing clash will follow between fifth seed Vilius Gaubas of Lithuania and Italy’s Stefano Travaglia, who recently captured his seventh ATP Challenger career title at the Zadar Open in Croatia and continues his push back toward the top level.
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