CERVIA/STARNBERG, May 9, 2026
Excitement is building in Cervia, Italy as the countdown continues toward the first edition of the CAME Cup – Città di Cervia, a new ATP Challenger 50 tournament scheduled from May 17 to 23 on the clay courts of the Circolo Polisportiva 2000 Tennis Club. With total prize money of €56,700, the event arrives during a prestigious moment on the tennis calendar, positioned between the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and Roland Garros.
The tournament also coincides with another major sporting occasion for the city, the start of the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race, further underlining Cervia’s growing reputation as a destination for high-level sporting events.
The competition marks the return of major international tennis to the Adriatic city for the first time in 35 years, following the Challenger Series event won in 1991 by Italian-Swiss player Claudio Mezzadri.
After two successful editions as an ITF Men’s Future tournament — previously won by Alessandro Pecci and Jacopo Berrettini, younger brother of Matteo Berrettini — the club led by president Maurizio Tappi now takes a significant step onto the ATP Challenger Tour. The goal is not only to stage top-level tennis, but also to bring more people, especially younger generations, closer to the sport and its values.
To ensure the highest organizational standards, the tournament has appointed renowned Brazilian official Carlos Bernardes as tournament director. After more than four decades as one of the ATP Tour’s most respected chair umpires, Bernardes already impressed in his new role earlier this year at the Challenger event in Cesenatico. Supporting the organization is Michele Montalbini, another experienced figure in Italian tennis for whom Cervia has become a second home.
Leading the entry list are Argentinians Santiago Rodriguez Taverna and Guido Ivan Justo, currently ranked No. 255 and No. 257 in the ATP rankings respectively. Justo arrives in Italy after winning the Challenger title in Tigre earlier this season. They are followed by US-American Stefan Dostanic, Uruguayan Franco Roncadelli, and another US-American, Mitchell Krueger.
Italy’s highest-ranked direct entrant is Michele Ribecai, while local fans are especially eager to watch Ravenna native Federico Bondioli. The left-hander recently impressed at the Foro Italico, where he came through the pre-qualifying tournament and defeated Emilio Nava in qualifying before losing to Croatia’s Dino Prizmic, who later stunned Novak Djokovic in the main draw.
Another Italian to watch is Andrea Guerrieri, who captured his first Challenger title earlier this month at the Garden Roma event after starting from qualifying.
Several promising young Italians are also hoping to enter the main draw as alternates, including Gabriele Piraino, Carlo Alberto Caniato, and Filippo Romano. In addition, tournament organizers and the Italian Tennis Federation will award three wild cards, with highly regarded 2007-born talent Jacopo Vasami expected to receive one after his semifinal run at the Garden Roma Challenger.
The qualifying draw will also feature several players from the Emilia-Romagna region, including Enrico Dalla Valle, Francesco Forti, Manuel Mazza, and Alessandro Pecci.
International attention is also focused on two rising teenage stars. French prodigy Moise Kouame, just 17 years old, is already considered one of the brightest young prospects in France, while Bulgaria’s Ivan Ivanov arrives as the former junior world No. 1.
The official draw ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m., conducted by ATP supervisor Carmelo Di Dio. Twenty-four players will compete in qualifying, with six advancing into the 32-player singles main draw. The doubles tournament will feature 16 teams.
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