Flavio Cobolli, winning debut: he is already in the quarters in Almaty

Good debut for Flavio Cobolli at the “Almaty Open,” an ATP 250 tournament with a prize pool of $1,055,255, underway on the indoor fast track of the “Almaty Arena” in Kazakhstan.

The 23-year-old from Rome, No. 22 in the world rankings and third seed, made his debut directly in the second round, overcoming in two sets – 6-4 7-5 in just over an hour and a quarter – Australian Rinky Hijikata (No. 114 ATP), who was re-selected to the main draw as a lucky loser.

In the quarterfinals, Cobolli will find another Australian, James Duckworth (No. 138 ATP), a qualifier and veteran of a three-set win over Canadian Gabriel Diallo (No. 35, seventh seed). The Italian leads 1-0 in the previous events, having beaten Duckworth in the first round of the US Open 2024.

The Kazakhstani roster also includes Luciano Darderi, 23, from Villa Gesell, No. 26 ATP (best ranking) and fourth seed. On Thursday he will make his debut directly in the second round against Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki (No. 102), whom he has never faced in his career.
In the opener, the 22-year-old from Kawasaki eliminated Arthur Cazaux 6-4 6-4, taking revenge on the Frenchman who a few days ago had beaten him decisively in the semifinals at the Jinan Challenger, which he then won, thus reaching his new best ranking (No. 58).