MILAN/STARNBERG, July 3, 2026

Defending champion Marco Cecchinato remains the last Italian standing at the Aspria Tennis Cup 2026 – Trofeo BCS after securing a place in the semifinals of the ATP Challenger event at the Aspria Harbour Club.

With four Italians in Friday’s quarterfinals, only Cecchinato advanced to the final four. Enrico Dalla Valle, Juan Cruz Martin Manzano and Pierluigi Basile all saw their campaigns come to an end, although each leaves Milan with plenty of positives after an impressive week.

The opening match of the day featured a high-quality battle between Gustavo Heide and Dalla Valle. In a contest dominated by powerful baseline exchanges, the Brazilian edged the Italian 7-6, 7-6 after three hours and five minutes. Dalla Valle saved four match points before eventually falling in the second tie-break, while Heide continued the excellent form that has already brought him two Challenger titles and one final since April.

Heide will now face Cecchinato, who progressed after fellow Italian Basile was forced to retire with a back injury while trailing 6-1, 3-0. Basile had enjoyed an outstanding week in Milan but was unable to continue after struggling with pain, particularly on serve.

The other semifinal will feature Facundo Diaz Acosta against Spain’s Daniel Rincon.

Rincón produced the upset of the tournament by defeating top seed Francisco Comesana 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 in an epic contest lasting three hours and 40 minutes. The Spaniard recovered from 4-1 down in the deciding set before staging another remarkable comeback from 0-4 in the final-set tie-break, completing one of the most memorable victories in the tournament’s recent history.

Diaz Acosta, meanwhile, enjoyed a far more straightforward afternoon, defeating Italy’s Martin Manzano 6-0, 6-2 to reach the semifinals with an impressive display of experience and consistency.

In the doubles event, the all-Italian pairing of Francesco Forti and Filippo Romano booked their place in the final with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over Georgii Kravchenko and Jose Antonio Sanchez Quilez. They will face India’s Siddhant Banthia and Arjun Kadhe in Saturday’s championship match.

FRIDAY RESULTS

Quarterfinals – Singles

Gustavo Heide (BRA) def. Enrico Dalla Valle (ITA) 7-6, 7-6

Facundo Diaz Acosta (ARG) def. Juan Cruz Martin Manzano (ITA) 6-0, 6-2

Marco Cecchinato (ITA) def. Pierluigi Basile (ITA) 6-1, 3-0 (ret.)

Daniel Rincon (ESP) def. Francisco Comesana (ARG) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6