SASSUOLO, June 20, 2025
Dusan Lajovic of Serbia and Spaniard Carlos Taberner will face off in Saturday’s singles final of the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup. The ATP Challenger 125 clay-court tournament, now in its fourth edition, is organized by Master Group Sport in collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Region and has seen some standout performances throughout the week in Sassuolo.
Lajovic rolls into the final
Veteran Serbian Dusan Lajovic, a former World No. 23 and third seed this week, put on a commanding performance in the first semifinal on Friday, defeating rising star Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in straight sets.
It was a classic battle of generations on center court: the 20-year-old Mexican, playing in his first career Challenger semifinal, against the 34-year-old Lajovic, one of the most experienced players in the draw. The opening set was tightly contested until Lajovic secured the decisive break in the eighth game to take it 6-3. In the second set, Lajovic immediately took control with a break in the third game and held off a strong push from Pacheco-Mendez in the following game. From there, the Serbian never looked back, closing out the match 6-2 after 75 minutes.
“The first set was tougher than the score suggests,” said Lajovic after the match. “The break at the end made the difference. In the second, I managed to break early and that helped me seal the win in two sets, which is very important at this stage of the tournament when energy must be managed carefully—especially at my age. I’m happy to be in the final. Tomorrow I’ll step on court, as always, to win.”
Disappointment for Passaro, Taberner advances
The second semifinal was cut short by misfortune. Fourth-seeded Italian Francesco Passaro was forced to retire after the first set due to a groin injury. Top seed Taberner had taken the set 6-3, but the turning point came earlier when Passaro, leading 3-2, began to feel discomfort. He called a medical time-out but was ultimately unable to continue.
“Francesco was playing better than me,” Taberner admitted. “It’s unfortunate how things ended, and I hope he recovers soon. For me, the silver lining is conserving some energy for tomorrow’s final. Lajovic is a top player I’ve admired for years on TV—it will be a great challenge, and I’ll need to bring my very best.”
Doubles final set
Before the singles showdown, the doubles final will take place at 2:00 PM local time. Top seeds Alexander Erler of Austria and Constantin Frantzen of Germany will face the fourth-seeded duo of Matthew Christopher Romios from Australia and Ryan Seggerman of the United States.
