GENOA/STARNBERG, September 28, 2026
Luka Mikrut completed an impressive week at the inaugural De Wave Open Challenger in Genoa by defeating Italy’s Carlo Alberto Caniato 6-4, 7-5 in Sunday’s final on the red clay. The 22-year-old Croatian, ranked No. 214 at the start of the tournament, secured his third ATP Challenger title and his first of the 2026 season.
Mikrut came through a strong draw without dropping a set until the semifinals. He opened his campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Federico Iannaccone before producing an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 win against sixth seed Kimmer Coppejans of Belgium. In the quarterfinals, Mikrut defeated third seed Lukas Neumayer 6-3, 6-4.
His toughest test came in the semifinals against Germany’s Marvin Moeller. Mikrut recovered from losing the second set and eventually prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) in a closely contested battle. Möller, who had eliminated Dali Blanch in the quarterfinals, pushed the Croatian all the way to a deciding-set tiebreak.
Caniato, meanwhile, reached his second consecutive Challenger final after winning the title in Biella the previous week. The Italian advanced through a strong section of the draw, including victories over second seed Tom Gentzsch and eighth seed Jay Clarke, before beating Francesco Forti 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals.
The final saw Mikrut make the crucial breakthroughs at the right moments. The Split native withstood four aces and captialized on both of his break-point chances to secure victory in one hour and 37 minutes.
363 days well worth it 🤩
Luka Mikrut comes out on top against Caniato 6-4, 7-5 to get his hands on a Challenger title for the first time since the 29th September 2025 🗓️#ATPChallenger | @hts_sluzbeni | 🇮🇹 Genoa pic.twitter.com/3D2UdrrM10
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) September 27, 2026
The victory gives Mikrut his third Challenger crown, following titles in Como, Italy and Braga, Portugal in 2025. His success in Genoa also moves him from No. 214 towards a new career ranking of world No. 166. He earned €15,510 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.
The De Wave Open Challenger 2026 was held from 21 to 27 September at the Park Tennis Club in Genoa, Italy on red clay as an ATP Challenger 75 event.
