SASSUOLO, June 18, 2025
Under the sun finally shining again on the courts of the Sporting Club Sassuolo, the second-round matches at the fourth edition of the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup were played on Wednesday.
On Center Court, top seed Carlos Taberner of Spain defeated home favorite Federico Bondioli. The young Italian, a member of the Sporting Club Sassuolo, stayed competitive throughout the first set, which Taberner eventually took with his greater experience, winning 6-4. The second set was more one-sided, as Taberner quickly broke twice and maintained the lead to finish 6-1 after 75 minutes.
The No. 1 seed moves on, as does the No. 3 of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event. Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic made short work of Spanish veteran Albert Ramos Vinolas, winning 6-1, 6-4. With glimpses of flair from his elegant one-handed backhand and a powerful serve that produced seven aces, the former World No. 23 advanced to the quarterfinals of a tournament he’s determined to honor with his best effort.
“It was a tough match, especially because of the intense heat,” said Lajovic. “But I think I played solid and focused tennis. I’m here to do well. My goal is to get into the US Open main draw, so I’m aiming to go all the way here in Sassuolo.”
Lajovic will face Francesco Maestrelli in the quarterfinals. The player from Pisa impressed with the ease of his win over Spain’s Alejandro Moro Canas. “I started strong and played a very good beginning of the match,” said Maestrelli. “Then he raised his level, and I got a bit nervous, but I managed to close it out. Now I need to raise my game. Lajovic needs no introduction — his career speaks for itself. We know each other well and often train together, so I know I’ll need to play my best to beat him.”
Also through to the stage of the final eight is Francesco Passaro, who overcame Spanish lucky loser Oriol Roca Batalla 7-6, 6-3. “I struggled a bit with his serve at the start,” said the 24-year-old from Perugia. “I saved a tough set point and then managed to win the first set in the tiebreak. From there, I gained confidence and momentum, although it remained a hard-fought match until the end. When I play challengers, my goal is always to win the tournament. Every match is different, of course, but I’m here to win.”
Spain’s Daniel Rincon also advanced, coming from behind to beat seventh seed Lukas Neumayer of Austria 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, France’s Luca Van Assche had a solid win over the young Japanese talent Rei Sakamoto, 6-2, 6-3.
In the night session, Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez of Mexico fought past Italian wild card entry Giulio Zeppieri, rallying 6-7(1), 7-6(5), 6-4 in almost three hours of play, and Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer outlasted Raul Brancaccio of Italy 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
