Matteo Gigante enchants Rome: victory over Rinderknech and passage to the second round of the Internazionali d’Italia

The Foro Italico applauds another all-Italian success. Matteo Gigante, a young Roman tennis player, won a brilliant victory in the first round of the Internazionali d’Italia, beating France’s Arthur Rinderknech in two tight sets, both decided at the tie-break: 7-6(4), 7-6(4). In an atmosphere full of passion and cheers, the home favorite was able to impose himself with character and quality, confirming the good moment he is going through in the ATP circuit.

The match, played on the SuperTennis Arena, had a special flavor. The Roman audience supported its champion from the first to the last point, turning each exchange into a collective’experience. Gigante responded with a solid performance, showing maturity and cool-headedness in crucial moments. In the first set, he was able to emerge unscathed from six break points, despite a modest percentage of firsts on the court, and then imposed himself in the tie-break with authority. The second partial seemed to take a’different turn after the initial break suffered, but the Italian was able to fight back with determination, snatching service from the Frenchman just when the latter was serving to close out the set.

In the final tie-break, despite an initial mini-break in Rinderknech’s favor, Gigante kept his wits about him and took advantage of an error by his challenger to get right back into the match. A new mini-break in the sixth point paved the way to victory, sealed by a big, visibly moved cheer in the center of the court.

With this success, Gigante enters the second round where he will face Czech Jakub Mensik, the number 20 seed. Another difficult but fascinating challenge, which the Roman will face with a heart full of pride and the grit of someone who, at home, dreams big.