SAN MARINO/STARNBERG, July 28, 2026
Home hopes remained strong on Tuesday at the Internazionali di Tennis San Marino Open, with Francesco Maestrelli, Marco Cecchinato and Francesco Forti all booking their places in the second round of the ATP Challenger 125 event. A fourth Italian will join them in the last 16, as sixth seed Andrea Pellegrino and wild card Carlo Alberto Caniato were scheduled to meet in an all-Italian clash later in the evening.
Eighth seed Francesco Maestrelli produced one of the most convincing performances of the day, defeating Austria’s Lukas Neumayer 6-4, 6-0. The Italian faced resistance only in the opening set before dominating the remainder of the match. Maestrelli will next take on Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, who came through qualifying before easing past Italian wild card Jacopo Vasami 6-2, 6-2.
Marco Cecchinato also enjoyed a successful return to the venue where he claimed one of the most important titles of his early career in 2013. The former Roland Garros semifinalist defeated fellow Italian Franco Agamenone 6-3, 6-4 to set up a second-round meeting with fifth seed Alexandre Muller, the 2024 San Marino champion.
Francesco Forti, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after narrowly missing out in the final round of qualifying, made the most of his second chance. The 26-year-old defeated Argentina’s Federico Coria 6-4, 6-2 in just over 90 minutes.
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“I played a very solid match despite spending more than three hours on court in qualifying on Monday,” Forti said. “I already had positive feelings during practice, and fortunately the lucky loser spot gave me another opportunity. I really enjoy playing this tournament because my family and many friends can come to watch. Diaz Acosta will be a very tough challenge, but physically I feel good and I’ll try to make the most of my chances.”
That challenge comes against top seed Facundo Diaz Acosta, who defeated qualifier Tommaso Compagnucci 6-4, 6-2. The Argentine, already a four-time Challenger champion in 2026, admitted he needed time to adapt after Compagnucci made a strong start.
“Compagnucci began the match really well because he had already played qualifying and was used to the conditions,” Diaz Acosta said. “It wasn’t an easy opening match, so I’m happy with the win. I’ve had a very satisfying first half of the season, and my goal here is to play as many matches as possible and hopefully fight for another title.”
Second seed Otto Virtanen also advanced, overcoming Italian wild card Filippo Romano 7-5, 6-4. Romano looked set to take the opening set after building a 5-2 lead and earning a set point, but the Finn recovered impressively before taking control of the match.
Elsewhere, qualifier Enrico Dalla Valle pushed Croatia’s Mili Poljicak to two tight tie-breaks but fell just short. Third seed Vilius Gaubas defeated recent Segovia champion Luka Pavlovic 6-1, 7-5, while fourth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili survived a three-set battle against Czech qualifier Michael Vrbensky. Seventh seed Hugo Dellien, fresh off his Challenger title in Trieste, also progressed comfortably and will next face fellow Bolivian Juan Carlos Prado Angelo.
TUESDAY RESULTS
Singles – First Round
Francesco Maestrelli (ITA, No. 8) d. Lukas Neumayer (AUT) 6-4, 6-0
Marco Cecchinato (ITA) d. Franco Agamenone (ITA) 6-3, 6-4
Francesco Forti (ITA, LL) d. Federico Coria (ARG) 6-4, 6-2
Facundo Diaz Acosta (ARG, No. 1) d. Tommaso Compagnucci (ITA, Q) 6-4, 6-2
Otto Virtanen (FIN, No. 2) d. Filippo Romano (ITA, WC) 7-5, 6-4
Mili Poljicak (CRO, Q) d. Enrico Dalla Valle (ITA, Q) 7-6(6), 7-6(2)
Juan Pablo Varillas (PER, Q) d. Jacopo Vasami (ITA, WC) 6-2, 6-2
Hugo Dellien (BOL, No. 7) d. Pedro Martinez (ESP) 6-1, 6-4
Vilius Gaubas (LTU, No. 3) d. Luka Pavlovic (FRA) 6-1, 7-5
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO, No. 4) d. Michael Vrbensky (CZE, Q) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Genaro Alberto Olivieri (ARG) d. Carlos Taberner (ESP) 6-4, 6-1
Timofey Skatov (KAZ) d. Thomas Faurel (FRA) 6-1, 7-6(8)
Thiago Monteiro (BRA, Q) d. David Jorda Sanchis (ESP) 7-5, 7-5
Doubles – First Round
Filippo Romano / Jacopo Vasami (ITA, WC) d. Alberto Bronzetti / Manuel Mazza (ITA, WC) 7-5, 6-2
