CERVIA/STARNBERG, May 21, 2026

Two Italian players remain in contention for the title at the CAME Cup – Città di Cervia, the ATP Challenger 50 event with a prize pool of €56,700 currently entering its decisive stages on the clay courts of the Circolo Polisportiva 2000 Tennis. Friday’s semifinal lineup was completed after Andrea Guerrieri and Tommaso Compagnucci emerged victorious from two all-Italian quarterfinal clashes, while Juan Cruz Martin Manzano saw his impressive run come to an end.

Guerrieri continues to enjoy a remarkable spring season. After capturing his maiden ATP Challenger title at the Garden Roma in April and lifting the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 trophy in Reggio Emilia last week, the top seed in Cervia has now secured a place in the semifinals as the tournament favorite.

The 27-year-old left-hander from Correggio edged fellow Italian Carlo Alberto Caniato 7-6(3), 7-5 in a high-quality encounter. Guerrieri initially raced into a 2-0 lead before the 20-year-old from Ferrara fought back to level at 2-2. Caniato missed four break opportunities for a 5-3 advantage in the opening set, which eventually went to a tie-break dominated by Guerrieri.

Caniato responded strongly in the second set and moved ahead once again, but physical problems began to affect him midway through the match. The young Italian required a medical timeout due to a recurring issue with his right ankle and visibly struggled with his movement afterward. Guerrieri capitalized on the situation, recovering from 2-4 down to eventually close out the victory after two hours and five minutes.

Top seed on a mission 🙌

Andrea Guerrieri advances to the semifinals with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory over Caniato in Cervia#ATPChallenger | @federtennis pic.twitter.com/Wixy9LZnSG

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 21, 2026

“I’m sorry Carlo wasn’t physically at his best, but I’m really happy to continue my run here and with the level I’m showing,” Guerrieri said afterwards. “We keep adding new pieces to the puzzle and I’m very satisfied with the work we’re doing.”

Guerrieri will now face Spain’s Max Alcala Gurri, who defeated wildcard Juan Cruz Martin Manzano 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. The Italian-Argentine fought back brilliantly after trailing by a set and a break, but the 23-year-old Spaniard ultimately proved too strong in the decider.

Compagnucci also continued his dream run from the qualifying draw. The 26-year-old from Macerata backed up his upset win over second seed Guido Ivan Justo by defeating local favorite Enrico Dalla Valle 7-6(5), 6-4.

Compagnucci started strongly and led 5-2 in the opening set before Dalla Valle, supported by a large local crowd, mounted a comeback behind his powerful forehand game. The Ravenna native saved five set points and broke back to force a tie-break, but Compagnucci remained composed and produced several outstanding winners to edge the breaker 7-5.

Carrying the momentum into the second set, Compagnucci broke serve in the third game and never looked back, serving confidently throughout to secure victory after two hours and 13 minutes.

“I played a very solid match with very few mistakes and managed to stay focused on every point,” Compagnucci said. “Starting from qualifying, I feel better on court every day. I also really wanted to do well here in Cervia because last year I lost an unbelievable match in the ITF tournament. This year the feeling has been completely different. I’m enjoying the best season of my career so far.”

The Italian qualifier will now face sixth seed Buvaysar Gadamauri of Belgium, who defeated Bulgaria’s Petr Nesterov 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.

THURSDAY RESULTS

Singles – Quarterfinals

Andrea Guerrieri (ITA, No. 1) def. Carlo Alberto Caniato (ITA) 7-6(3), 7-5
Tommaso Compagnucci (ITA, Q) def. Enrico Dalla Valle (ITA, Q) 7-6(5), 6-4
Max Alcala Gurri (ESP) def. Juan Martin Manzano (ITA, WC) 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
Buvaysar Gadamauri (BEL, No. 6) def. Petr Nesterov (BUL) 6-4, 6-4

Doubles – Quarterfinals

Francesco Forti / Filippo Romano (ITA) def. Thijmen Loof / David Poljak (NED/CZE, No. 1) 6-3, 6-4
Juan Jose Bianchi / Joshua Sheehy (VEN/USA, No. 3) def. Cezar Cretu / Volodymyr Uzhylovskyi (ROU/UKR) 6-3, 6-4
Buvaysar Gadamauri / Li Tu (BEL/AUS) def. Anthony Genov / Petr Nesterov (BUL) 6-3, 7-6(5)
Santiago Rodriguez Taverna / David Vega Hernandez (ARG/ESP, No. 2) def. Max Alcala Gurri / Ioannis Xilas (ESP/GRE) 6-3, 7-6(3)