OLBIA/STARNBERG, October 22, 2023
Flavio Cobolli has reached the final of the inaugural Olbia Challenger, securing his spot in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. The 21-year-old Italian defeated fourth seed Alex Molcan of Slovakia 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday.
Cobolli capitalized on five of his 16 break-point opportunities to advance in one hour and 17 minutes.
11 wins in his last 12 matches for Flavio Cobolli 🔥#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/t2QR1YmC2n
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 21, 2023
The World No. 106 is vying for his third ATP Challenger career title, facing Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet in the championship match, which is scheduled for 3:00 pm local time. Jacquet, who battled his way through the qualifying, beat Joris De Loore from Belgium 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5).
The day kicked off with the doubles final, which saw Indian duo Arjun Kadhe and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli clinching the title with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ivan and Matej Sabanov of Croatia. The encounter lasted 56 minutes.
The Olbia Challenger is coming to an end, and the success of the event has already been certified by the enthusiastic response from the audience, which has been substantial since the early days of the competition.
“This tournament is a dream come true,” said Giuseppe Bianco, president of the Tennis Club Terranova. “I hope that the young players from the tennis school have learned something and realized that dreams can come true. The city has responded splendidly, and many spectators came out to support the players. At this moment, I am experiencing a lot of emotions mixed with a bit of melancholy because we have already reached the end.”
The tournament is being organized by MEF Tennis Events. “The Challenger dream was born thanks to a bet by Marcello Marchesini, who presented us with a project that grew over time. It was supposed to be a Challenger 75, and we ended up hosting an ATP Challenger 125 tournament. Many people ask me about the future, but what I can say is that we will continue to work hard to keep alive this spirit and positive energy that has made this tournament so special from the beginning,” Bianco concluded.
SATURDAY RESULTS
Singles – Semi-Finals
Kyrian Jacquet (Q) b. Joris De Loore (SE) 6-4 4-6 7-6(5)
Flavio Cobolli (7) b. Alex Molcan (4) 6-4 6-1
Doubles – Final
Arjun Kadhe/Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli b. Ivan Sabanov/Matej Sabanov 6-1 6-3
