Rome, Matteo Arnaldi in comeback in second round

Rome, Matteo Arnaldi in comeback in second round

Matteo Arnaldi, world number 37, advanced to the first round of the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome on the clay of the Foro Italico by beating Frenchman Harold Mayot, number 130 in the ATP rankings and entered the main draw thanks to the forfeit of Czech Tomas Machac, in a comeback with a score of 3-6 7-5 6-4. 

The 23-year-old from San Remo has to save himself from 15-40 on his serve already in the first game of the match, then loses his serve at zero on 2-2, has a counterbreak ball on 3-4, does not exploit it and indeed, loses his serve again on 5-3 when his opponent closes the first set at the second consecutive chance.

The second set è balanced until 5-5 but Arnaldi had to save two more break points in a very long eighth game, won on the’eighth useful ball. At 5-5 Matteo went ahead 15-40 on Mayot’s serve, who recovered but soon after had to break serve and the Azure closed the second set by holding the serve to zero.

In the third set Arnaldi suffers a break in the fourth game but takes it back immediately. Not only that, but from 1-3 he goes ahead him 5-3 and shortly after closes the match holding serve at 15 after more than two and a half hours of play. In the next round Arnaldi will face Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, the tournament’s No. 21 seed.