ATP Tour

Navone outlasts World No. 5 Auger-Aliassime, who struggled to walk during Rome clash

Mariano Navone captured his first Top 10 win on Saturday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where he overcame a physically hampered Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to reach the third round.

World No. 5 Auger-Aliassime struggled with a leg issue in the second set and was unable to even walk at times in the second-set tie-break. The Canadian fended off one match point on virtually one leg, but was unable to deny Navone, who raised his arms aloft after reaching the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.

The 25-year-old Navone, up three spots to No. 41 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, tasted success on clay earlier this year in Bucharest, where he won his maiden tour-level title. The Argentine has yet to drop a set in Rome, having cruised past Denis Shapovalov in the first round. Auger-Aliassime is down one spot to No. 6 in the Live Rankings. The 25-year-old has struggled on clay this year, holding a 3-4 record on the surface, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Navone, who had never previously defeated a Top 10 opponent in five matches, will next meet Hamad Medjedovic. The Serbian upset 27th seed Joao Fonseca 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) in front of a raucous crowd. In a topsy-turvy showdown, Medjedovic led 4-1 in the decider and let slip a match point at 5-4, adding to the late-night drama. However, the 22-year-old regrouped and found a consistent level in the third-set tie-break to win the battle of former Next Gen ATP Finals champions.

With a large Brazilian presence at Supertennis Arena, Medjedovic followed his win by joining a group of fans who were supporting him and taking a video selfie with them.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard Martin Landaluce was also a winner on Saturday in Rome. The 20-year-old lucky loser beat former World No. 3 Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 to set a third-round clash with Mattia Bellucci.

In March, Landaluce enjoyed a dream run to the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami. The Spaniard reached the semi-finals at an ATP Challenger event on clay in Monza in April.

Former Rome quarter-finalist Andrey Rublev opened his campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Miomir Kecmanovic, while Daniil Medvedev advanced via walkover after Tomas Machac withdrew.