TODI/STARNBERG, August 11, 2026
It was another busy day for the Italian players at the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Todi | Sidernestor Tennis Cup, with Francesco Forti becoming the first home player to book his place in the second round. The 27-year-old from Cesena fought back from a set down to defeat fellow Italian and training partner Michele Mecarelli, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, joining Marco Cecchinato and Filippo Romano in the second round after their victories on Monday.
Forti, who received a wildcard for the ATP Challenger 75 organised by MEF Tennis Events, recovered from a difficult opening set to complete the comeback in the first match of the day on Centre Court. His reward is another all-Italian clash against Cecchinato, who defeated Nick Hardt in his opening match.
There was disappointment for Gabriele Piraino on the same court. The 22-year-old arrived in Todi fresh from winning the first ATP Challenger title of his career in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, but was unable to continue his winning run. Fifth seed Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo proved too strong, with the Spaniard claiming a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory. Sanchez Izquierdo also made his Grand Slam qualifying debut at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Alexander Weis, Juan Cruz Manzano and Enrico Dalla Valle also exited in the opening round. Weis fell to Lukas Neumayer 6-2, 6-4, Manzano was beaten by Federico Gomez 6-1, 6-4, while Juan Bautista Torres led against Dalla Valle 7-6, 4-0 before the Italian retired.
Episode 01 | ️
Lucas Neumayer steps inside the stunning Church of San Fortunato and climbs the bell tower to discover one of the most breathtaking views over Todi and the Umbrian countryside. #tennis #InternazionaliTodi #ATPChallenger #Todi pic.twitter.com/CXQJvubghf
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) August 11, 2026
Forti fights back to earn Cecchinato showdown
After a double bone oedema in his foot kept him sidelined for an extended period, 2026 has finally given Francesco Forti the chance to regain some consistency.
The Italian won the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event in Santa Margherita di Pula and reached the semifinals of the Cattolica Challenger, climbing as high as No. 357 in the ATP Rankings and closing in on his career-high position of No. 303.
Given a wildcard into the Todi main draw, Forti overcame qualifier Mecarelli 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that carried an additional emotional dimension, with the two players having trained together for several years.
“Michele plays very good tennis and I’ve known him for a few years now. We train together at Galimberti in Cattolica, so I knew it was going to be a difficult match, both from a tennis and an emotional standpoint,” Forti said.
“It came down to a few points. From the second set onwards, he dropped a little and I raised my level. I’m very happy with my 2026, especially because I know how much energy I’ve spent to come back. It’s rewarding to be back on the Challenger Tour and to achieve good results on the World Tennis Tour as well.
“Now I want to keep going in this direction and try to do even better, maybe reach Grand Slam qualifying and improve my career-high ranking.”
Forti will have another all-Italian challenge next. He takes on Cecchinato on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on Centre Court, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
