PERUGIA, June 14, 2025
Dreams are taking shape at the Tennis Club Perugia, where the story of qualifier Pierluigi Basile has electrified fans during the 10th edition of the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Perugia | G.I.Ma. Tennis Cup, an ATP Challenger 125 event organized by MEF Tennis Events.
On a sunny and hot Friday afternoon in the capital city of Umbria with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, the first semifinal matchup was set. Basile, a 2007-born talent from Puglia who practices at the Tennis Training School in Foligno, situated only 40 kilometres away from Perugia, opened Center Court action with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Italian Federico Arnaboldi. The win marks the first Challenger semifinal of Basile’s career, a breakthrough that catapults him more than 200 spots up the ATP Live Rankings, cracking the Top 600.
With his elegant one-handed backhand, Basile already stands out, but his overall game has fans glued to their seats. Playing with the fearlessness of an 18-year-old, Basile didn’t face a break point and broke his rival’s serve two times to prevail after one hour and 27 minutes.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
“I had dinner with some friends last night to relax after the win,” he said with a smile following his victory over Arnaboldi. “It was hot overnight, and I didn’t sleep well. I felt a little nervous before the match, but once I got on court, everything clicked.”
Basile also gave credit to his team, which he says plays a key role during intense tournament weeks. “We’re a big group, and when we’re all together, good things happen. My fitness coach is also a samba instructor,” he added, prompting laughter as he explained why he celebrated his win with a few samba steps.
Awaiting Baslie in the semifinals is Bosnian qualifier Nerman Fatic, who delivered a strong performance to defeat the in-form Czech Dalibor Svrcina 6-4, 7-6(6). With five wins already under his belt this week, Fatic now boasts 12 career victories in Perugia, having twice previously reached the quarterfinals.
“I take it one match at a time. I’m not thinking about points or rankings, just about what I need to do on court,” said Basile of his upcoming match.
Pellegrino shines in front of a packed Perugia crowd
Later in the evening, the Perugian crowd witnessed the end of local hero Francesco Passaro’s run. The World No. 141 couldn’t find a way past fellow Italian Andrea Pellegrino, who leads their head-to-head 3-2 after this latest win. The No. 9 seed broke Passaro’s serve twice and won 51 per cent of the total points played to secure victory i one hour and 55 minutes.
Pellegrino, who recently reached the final at the ATP Challenger 175 in Estoril, Portugal, including a win over top player Felix Auger-Aliassime, continues one of the best stretches of his career.
“That match against Passaro was really tough, like it always is,” said Pellegrino. “I’m playing great tennis right now and I’m happy to be moving forward. The crowd was obviously supporting Francesco, but they were respectful and the atmosphere was incredible. I hope it’ll be the same tomorrow.”
Pellegino will next play third-seeded Italian Luca Nardi, who was a 6-3, 7-5 winner over Frenchman Luka Pavlovic. The encounter lasted one hour and 24 minutes.
