MADRID/STARNBERG, April 13, 2024
Leandro Riedi from Switzerland and Italy’s Stefano Napolitano are the finalists at the III Open Comunidad de Madrid. Riedi knocked Austrian Jurij Rodionov, No. 6 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 100 clay-court event being held at the Club De Campo Villa De Madrid, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) in stage of the last four on Saturday.
The World No. 166 withstood seven aces and broke Rodionov’s serve three times to succeed in two hours and 23 minutes.
Bring it ON 👊
22-year-old Leandro Riedi books a spot in his FOURTH Challenger final of the season after downing No.6 seed Rodionov 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) in Madrid #ATPChallenger | @fedetenismadrid | @swiss_tennis pic.twitter.com/4scAWifict
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 13, 2024
“It’s been very tough. I am very happy to have achieved the victory,” said Riedi. “It was a good comeback because Jurij played very well today, especially on clay he is a tough opponent. In the final set, the match could have gone either way, and I am very happy to have come out on top. Napolitano is playing very well, he hasn’t dropped a set in the tournament, so he is in very good form. It will be a tough match, but I am looking forward to facing it.”
Napolitano benefited from the retirement of eighth-seeded Kazakh veteran Mikhail Kukushkin. The 29-year-old Biella native was leading 6-2, 4-1 when Kukushkin was forced to stop playing due to back problems.
“Yesterday, Mikhail had a very tough battle with Albert Ramos, so probably, today he had some issues,” said Napolitano. “I tried to enjoy the match against him because he is a great player who has contributed a lot to the sport, and I was really looking forward to this match.”
Riedi is bidding for his fifth ATP Challenger Tour career title, his third of the season following his triumphs in Oeiras, Portugal and Ottignies, Belgium. Napolitano could lift his third Challenger career trophy, his second of 2024. The 29-year-old claimed the title in Bengaluru, India in mid-February.
Riedi won the only previous meeting between the two at the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event in Bourg-en-Bresse, France.
Heliovaara/Patten crowned doubles champions
In other action, Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Briton Henry Patten clinched the doubles title. The No. 4 seeds defeated Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Mexican Miguel Reyes-Varela 7-5, 7-6(1) in one hour and 46 minutes.
“It’s been a great week for us. We played a great match and were able to win against a strong pair. Congratulations to Miguel and Guido for their week,” said Patten.
“We’ve really enjoyed this week and are happy to win the title. We look forward to seeing each other again in Madrid, in two weeks, at the Masters 1000. It’s always a pleasure to play here. These have been great weeks alongside Henry,” Heliovaara added.
After lifting the trophy at the Grand Prix Hassan II ATP 250 event in Marrakech, Morocco last week, Heliovaara and Patten earned their second team title. The pair split €6,845 in prize money and collected 100 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
