Marco Cecchinato, former No. 16, overcome with emotion after ATP Challenger Tour victory in Milan

While most players were grinding it out in the Wimbledon qualifiers in Roehampton, the ATP Challenger Tour kept clay-court action alive with two tournaments last week. Far from the lawns of London, thrilling rallies and compelling storylines unfolded on the red dirt.

Marco Cecchinato captured the title of the 19th edition of the ASPRIA Tennis Cup – Trofeo BCS in Milan in spectacular fashion. With a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over top seed Dino Prizmic, the 32-year-old Italian became only the second player to lift the trophy twice, following Spain’s Albert Ramos.

The win not only marked Cecchinato’s first title in nearly three years, it also brought Italy level with Argentina at five Milan titles each, making it once again the most successful nation in the tournament’s history, which dates back to 2006.

Overcome with emotion, Cecchinato soon rose to embrace the many loved ones who had come to support him, including his cousin and coach Francesco Palpacelli and the rest of his family. The wildcard entry, granted by the organizers he warmly thanked during the trophy ceremony, played flawless tennis all week, not dropping a single set. His performance recalled the kind of form that once carried him into the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings.

Against the powerful but less explosive Prizmic, Cecchinato held his ground in baseline rallies, even showing confidence with his once-erratic topspin backhand. He dazzled the crowd with pinpoint drop shots and clever tactics. The opening set was decided by breaks in the third and seventh game. The second set was more of a battle, with Prizmic racing to a 2-0 lead before Cecchinato reeled him in and surged ahead 3-2 with a break.

At the changeover, a frustrated Prizmic violently slammed his racquet into his bag. Though he managed to hold for 4-3, the 19-year-old Croatian gave everything in a dramatic eighth game, which lasted 16 points and featured four break points. Cecchinato saved them all with bold play, including a stunning serve-and-volley combo on the last.

Saving those four break points proved decisive. It was the moment Cecchinato crushed any hope of a Prizmic comeback and claimed his eighth career ATP Challenger Tour title—and the first of what he calls a potential "second career."

“I prepared for this match just like the others. I went in with confidence,” Cecchinato said. “I knew it would be an even contest, but I focused on my game without thinking too much about him. I started strong, hesitated a bit in the second set because of the tension, but I stayed calm on those break points and had the courage I needed in the end.

“I really wanted to win, as this is my home tournament. It meant so much to win here again after nine years, in front of many friends and my family,” said the Sicilian. “After two and a half years without a final, the emotions were tough to handle. You could probably see that.”

With this victory, Cecchinato earned €12,980 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points—rising 137 spots to No. 300. It’s still a far cry from the level his talent warrants, but it will allow him access to more Challenger main draws, his focus for the coming months.

Now injury-free and re-energized by a rediscovered passion for the sport, Cecchinato finds himself well-positioned to take on this new chapter of his career.

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Prado prevails at Lima Challenger

Meanwhile, in South America, Juan Carlos Prado captured his maiden title on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 20-year-old Bolivian won the final of the Lima Challenger 6-4, 7-5 against home favorite and No. 8 seed Gonzalo Bueno.

Prado, a former junior No. 1 and 2023 Roland-Garros boys' runner-up, edged past local wildcard entry Christopher Li, Maximus Jones of Thailand, top seed Nicolas Mejia from Colombia and Brazil’s Pedro Boscardin to reach the championship match in Peru.

Prado broke Bueno’s serve four times and won 54 percent of the total points played to secure victory in one hour and 58 minutes. The Santa Cruz native pocketed $8,350 in prize money as well as 50 ATP Ranking points.

ATP Challenger Tour continues on clay and hard courts

While the spotlight shines on Wimbledon, the ATP Challenger Tour is far from taking a backseat. This week, the action heats up with three clay-court showdowns across Europe, and a fast-paced hard-court battle in the United States.

🇷🇴 Felipe Meligeni Alves will be the top seed at the second edition of the Ion Tiriac Challenger in Brasov, Romania. The 27-year-old Brazilian faces strong competition by Juan-Pablo Ficovich of Argentina, Hungarian Zsombor Piros and Alvaro Guillen Meza from Ecuador. Defending champion Murkel Dellien of Bolivia will also return to Transylvania.

🇮🇹 Another ATP Challenger 75 tournament is being held in Modena, Italy. In-form Spaniard Carlos Taberner, who captured the title at the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup in Sassuolo two weeks ago, is the favorite. Colombian veteran Daniel Elahi Galan leads the bottom half of the draw. Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina and Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild round out the top four seeds.

🇫🇷 Fifty ATP Ranking points are up for grabs at the Internationaux de Tennis de Troyes in northeastern France. Marco Trungelliti of Argentina is the No. 1 seed, while home favorite Calvin Hemery, Briton Jan Choinski and Timofey Skatov from Kazakhstan are other top contenders.

🇺🇸 The American hard-court swing kicks off at the Cary Tennis Classic in North Carolina. Australian Tristan Schoolkate is the top seed at the 11^th edition of the tournament. Canadian Liam Draxl, Omar Jasika of Australia and Alexis Galarneau of Canada are the other top-ranked players in the singles draw of the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event.