In a major upset at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, eighth-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur was eliminated in his opening match. He fell to local favorite Matteo Arnaldi, who is currently ranked 106th in the world, in a grueling three-set battle.
The match, which lasted nearly three hours, saw Arnaldi claim victory with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. The Italian showed remarkable resilience, especially in the second set tiebreak, to turn the tide against the higher-seeded opponent and advance to the next round.
Statistically, the contest was tightly contested. De Minaur recorded three aces but was hampered by two double faults. He managed to convert two of his seven break-point opportunities. Arnaldi mirrored some of those numbers, also hitting three aces and converting two breaks from seven chances, though he committed four double faults during the encounter.
This result marks a significant early departure for De Minaur, who was expected to make a deep run at the prestigious clay-court Masters 1000 event. For Arnaldi, it represents a career-best victory on home soil and a major boost to his ranking points.
With this win, Matteo Arnaldi secures his place in the third round of the tournament. He will next face Spanish player Rafael Jodar as he continues his surprising campaign in Rome.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.