UMAG/WASHINGTON, July 17, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
At the conclusion of his three-hour, 42-minute quarterfinal match at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag Thursday evening, Damir Dzumhur admittedly was “tired, very tired” but also “emotionally very happy.”
After all, Dzumhur had just won one of the most important matches for him this season. Best of all, his fighting spirit never wavered. He even got an emotional lift late in the match from an unlikely ally – the house DJ, who spun a favorite tune of his.
Added up, the 34-year-old Bosnian from Sarajevo pulled out a dramatic and satisfying 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) victory over 34th-ranked Matteo Arnaldi of Italy to advance to Friday’s semifinal round of this ATP 250-series event on red clay, now celebrating its 36th edition.
What a match 🙌@DzumhurDamir powers past Arnaldi 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(4).@CroatiaOpenUmag | #ATPUmag pic.twitter.com/iXKztloe2S
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 16, 2026
Umag, a coastal town in Istria, is located in the northwestern part of Croatia. It’s near the border with Slovenia and situated on the Adriatic Sea. Because of its Mediterranean climate, the Umag tournament has lent itself to being a predominantly nighttime tennis event that is filled with lively music and appreciative fans coming from all over the Mediterranean region of Europe.
For Dzumhur, beating Arnaldi means he’s through to his 11th career ATP Tour semifinal – and first since Umag last year, where he lost – and, importantly, he’s ended a 13-match losing streak against Top-40 opponents dating back to last year’s Roland-Garros.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to play good here because I came with a couple of bad results,” Dzumhur said during his on-court interview after he improved to 8-15 at tour level this season (16-23 in all competitions). “The game was there but I didn’t have the confidence.
“Matches like these, this is why we love the sport, why we love tennis,” Dzumhur added. “It was maybe too long, but I think it was a great fight from both of the players. And I want to thank Matteo for sharing the court with me. It was an amazing match. …
“This atmosphere in Umag is amazing. Thank you everyone for coming.”
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Dzumhur struck 27 winners, made 24 unforced errors and saved eight of 11 break points he faced en route to reaching his first ATP Tour semifinal of the season. Arnaldi countered with 56 winners but committed 61 unforced errors Dzumhur outpointed Arnaldi 130-129. Earlier this week, Dzumhur strung together a pair of straight-set wins over Henrique Rocha of Portugal and qualifier Juan Carlos Prado Angelo of Bolivia.
On Friday, Dzumhur will oppose 101st-ranked Alex Molcan of Slovakia, who rallied to upset World No. 20 and second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, in one hour and 41 minutes in Thursday evening’s featured match.
“My first focus will be on my body,” Dzumhur said, “so I can physically be ready for [Friday]. I’m going to get a good ice bath, stretch and a massage. Hopefully, it will be enough to recover.
“I’m very happy but I don’t want to stop here. I know that I am playing good. So, hopefully, physically I’ll be ready.”
A comeback followed by complete dominance 😤
Alex Molcan earns his fifth career win over a Top 20 opponent, defeating Davidovich Fokina 3-6 6-1 6-2!#CroatiaOpenUmag pic.twitter.com/qPvAv3DEzB
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 16, 2026
At the end of his on-court interview, Zhumhur gave a shout-out to the house DJ for playing the popular Bosnian song “Lijepi moji” (often referred to by the lyrics “Zlatne niti”), written and sung by the late popular folk singer Halid Bešlić, during the 6-5 changeover in the third set. The Tennis TV cameras captured Zhumhur sitting at his bench during the changeover, smiling and singing along to the spirited melody.
“I have to say probably I have not laughed more at 6-5 in the third [set],” he said. “I was under a lot of stress and emotionally going up and down. But it was a great moment and I got goosebumps – even now. Thank you for letting us enjoy our pleasure.”
Around Goran Ivanisevic Stadium
• No. 67 Roman Andres Burruchaga defeated No. 7 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in an all-Argentina quarterfinal to advance against 21-year-old Spaniard Daniel Merida.
Burruchaga won 76 percent (32 of 42) of his first-serve points, converted four of five break-point opportunities and outpointed Ugo Carabelli 72-59 in improving his tour-level win-loss record to 10-9.
After Burruchaga’s victory over his fellow Argentine, he said in his on-court interview: “I am so happy with the win and for reaching the semifinals. Sadly, Camilo is a very good friend and also a very good competitor. I have played with him many times. It is always a good fight with him. We both fought until the end [today], but fortunately it was a win for me.”
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• Meanwhile, the 82nd-ranked Merida took out No. 119 Titouan Droguet of France, 6-1, 6-3, in 64 minutes to advance to his second tour-level semifinal of the season.
Merida won 86 percent (24 of 28) of his first-serve points, faced no break points on his serve, converted four of seven break-point opportunities and outpointed Droguet 56-33 to reach his second tour-level semifinal this season.
With Merida’s 10th tour-level victory this season, he’s moved up to a new-career high No. 72 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings going into Friday’s semifinal.
Semi-finals bound 🎟️
Daniel Merida finishes in style as he sees off Droguet and reaches his second Tour-level semi-final. @CroatiaOpenUmag | #ATPUmag pic.twitter.com/yyUmrGM0Kc
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 16, 2026
Thursday’s Croatia Open Umag results
Friday’s Croatia Open Umag order of play
“Quotable …”
“I think I played an excellent match. Flavio is a really good player. He just made the Roland-Garros final. He is really confident. I think I played a really good game, probably one of the best matches of the year for me, so I am very happy for that.”
– No. 67 Roman Andres Burruchaga of Argentina, during his on-court interview Wednesday, after upsetting World No. 9 and top seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, 6-2, 6-4.
