Matteo Arnaldi suffers, hopes and then collapses in Rome against Rafael Jodar
Matteo Arnaldi suffers, hopes and then collapses at the Internazionali d’Italia. The Ligurian held his own for a good two hours of play against the rampant Rafael Jodar, even winning back a set, but then surrendering with a score of 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Tough match for the Sanremese class of 2001, who raised the white flag after a little more than half an hour in the first set. Important was his recovery in the second, opened with an immediate break and decided by snatching service from his rival at 5-4 after his counterbreak in the sixth game. In the third and decisive set, however, the Iberian talent bounced back from 1-3 by winning an impressive five games in a row and earning his way to the round of 16 in Rome against Learner Tien.
A defeat that hurt, but came after one of the most exciting weeks of Arnaldi’s career. Just two days ago, the 25-year-old Ligurian had signed one of the most prestigious successes of his career, beating Top 10 Alex De Minaur in a comeback with a score of 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. A victory that allowed him to center for the sixth time in his career a success against a tennis player in the Top 10 of the ATP ranking and, above all, to re-enter the world top 100.
Arnaldi’s path to this second round had also passed through a path of rebirth that had had its turning point at the Cagliari Challenger, where the San Remo player had regained confidence and continuity after a very complicated beginning of 2026. Before Cagliari, the Ligurian tennis player had collected just two victories in the entire season: against Gaston in Brisbane in early January, before withdrawing due to injury in the next round, and against Kopriva in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 qualifiers, before being eliminated in the final round by Muller.
In Cagliari, on the other hand, Arnaldi had regained his best tennis, overcoming in order Federico Arnaboldi, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Portugal’s Nuno Borges – the tournament’s number 3 seed – by scores of 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(3), earning a place in the semifinals and then taking home the title. A success that gave him back the energy he needed to face the Internazionali d’Italia in the best possible way.
On the other side of the net, Jodar confirmed himself as one of the most interesting prospects in world tennis. The young Spaniard, now close to the top 30, had already proved his worth by overcoming Borges himself in the first round in two sets with the scores of 7-6, 6-4. The talented Iberian had already made waves this season, also crossing racket with Jannik Sinner at the Madrid Masters 1000, where he lost to the world number one. In the round of 16 in Rome, Jodar will now face American Learner Tien, in what promises to be another important test for his growth path.
