SASSUOLO, June 19, 2025
The semi-finals at the fourth edition of the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup are set. Dusan Lajovic secured his spot in the final four of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 clay-court event in Sassuolo on Thursday after a tightly contested and entertaining match against Italy’s Francesco Maestrelli. The No. 3 seed of Serbia impressed the crowd with phases of serve-and-volley tennis, winning 53 per cent of the total points played to seal victory in two hours and four minutes.
“It was a very close match,” said Lajovic. “The heat definitely played a role, but I managed to play the important points well and close it out in two sets. Now I’ll recover and get ready for tomorrow’s semifinal.”
Awaiting him on the other side of the net will be 20-year-old Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez. The former Junior World No. 1 from Merida defeated Spain’s Daniel Rincon 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first-ever semifinal at Challenger level.
Making moves in Sassuolo
Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez secures his first career Challenger semifinal with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Rincon#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/KYqGZpTSaF
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 19, 2025
“I’m really happy. These have been wonderful days for me here in Sassuolo,” said Pacheco Mendez. “I started the match a bit tight because I felt the pressure of trying to make my first Challenger semifinal. But I stuck to the game plan with my coach and played a solid match. Now I’ll face Lajovic, a player who really doesn’t need any introduction. But I’m here to give it everything I’ve got.”
Taberner outlasts van Assche
In other action, top seed Carlos Taberner fought past Frenchman Luca van Assche 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a marathon match. The 130th-ranked Spaniard converted eight of his 14 break-point chances to prevail after three hours and 15 minutes.
Up next for Taberner will be No. 4 seed Francesco Passaro from Italy, who battled past Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer in another encounter that lasted more than three hours. Passaro emerged victorious 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2).
