PERUGIA/STARNBERG, June 11, 2025

The spotlight was firmly on Francesco Passaro as the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Perugia | G.I.Ma. Tennis Cup got underway on Tuesday in front of a packed stadium at the Tennis Club Perugia. The local favorite thrilled the home crowd with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win over compatriot Francesco Maestrelli in an all-Italian first-round derby, setting up a second-round clash with Norway’s Viktor Durasovic.

But the marquee matchup of the night featured a true tennis legend. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka returned to Perugia for an electric evening session, taking on former World No. 39 Radu Albot. Despite the Swiss star’s valiant effort and the roaring support from the Central Court crowd, Albot emerged victorious in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(3).

Bringing up match point IN STYLE! ‍♂️@RaduAlbot comes out on top in a tense, veteran showdown vs Wawrinka 6-4, 7-6(3) in Perugia!#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/dg22qtvnpl

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 10, 2025

At 40 years old, Wawrinka showed his trademark resilience, battling to the end. In the second set, he saved two match points in the 10th game to force a tiebreak, but Albot played flawlessly in the closing stages. “Stan served well and hit the ball hard. I’m really happy with my performance,” Albot said afterward. “The Centre Court in Perugia was amazing, even if everyone was cheering for Stan.”

Passaro’s Dream Still Alive

Passaro, seeded No. 7 this week and World No. 141 in the ATP Rankings, weathered an early test against Maestrelli, saving two break points in the second set that could have seen him trail 2-4. From there, he shifted gears and didn’t look back. It was a confident performance against a tough opponent who had bested him in two of their previous three meetings.

“He’s a great player, and I hope he gets back to the ranking he deserves,” said Passaro after the win. “In the key moments, I drew on the experience from high-level matches I’ve played in recent years, and it really helped.”

Passaro, who reached the quarterfinals in Perugia last year, now has the chance to match that result when he faces Durasovic on Thursday. “My goal is to win this tournament. It’s a dream I’ve carried for many years, and I want to make it happen,” the Perugia native shared. “Perugia is special. On court I always feel a mix of tension and emotion, but at the same time, I feed off the crowd’s energy.”

TUESDAY RESULTS

First Round 

Andrea Pellegrino (9) def. Gabriele Piraino (Q) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Federico Bondioli (Q) def. Vitaliy Sachko 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Gerard Campana Lee (Q) def. Viktor Durasovic 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-4

Francesco Passaro (7) def. Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-3

Taro Daniel (8) def. Alex Marti Pujolras (LL) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3)

Dalibor Svrcina (5) def. Daniel Rincon 6-1, 4-1 ret.

Nerman Fatic def. Oriol Roca Batalla (Q) 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(1)

Dusan Lajovic (4) def. Rei Sakamoto 6-0, 6-4

Radu Albot def. Stan Wawrinka (6) 6-4, 7-6(3)

Pierluigi Basile (Q) def. Carlos Sanchez Jover 6-3, 6-2

Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez def. Marco Cecchinato (LL) 7-6(6), 6-2

Federico Arnaboldi def. Andrea Picchione (LL) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2