Home / Sports / Navone Shocks No. 5 Auger-Aliassime in Rome Thriller
Navone Shocks No. 5 Auger-Aliassime in Rome Thriller
9 May
Summary
- Navone achieved his first Top 10 win against Auger-Aliassime in Rome.
- Auger-Aliassime struggled with a leg injury, impacting his performance.
- Navone advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 third round.
Mariano Navone achieved his first career Top 10 victory on Saturday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. He overcame a physically compromised Felix Auger-Aliassime, with the World No. 5 struggling due to a leg injury in the second set.
Auger-Aliassime's mobility was severely limited, especially during the second-set tie-break. Despite fending off one match point on a single leg, he could not prevent Navone's progress. Navone, who had not previously defeated a Top 10 opponent, raised his arms in celebration after reaching the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.
The 25-year-old Navone, now ranked No. 41, has had a strong clay season, including winning his first tour-level title in Bucharest. He has yet to drop a set in Rome, having defeated Denis Shapovalov in the first round. Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime's clay court record this year stands at 3-4.
In other Rome matches, #NextGenATP player Martin Landaluce defeated Marin Cilic, and Andrey Rublev began his campaign with a win. Daniil Medvedev advanced to the next round via walkover.
