BRAUNSCHWEIG, July 11, 2025

Mariano Navone and Juan Manuel Cerundolo will compete in Saturday’s singles final of the BRAWO Open. Navone, the No. 4 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 clay-court event in Braunschweig fought past sixth-seeded Austrian Filip Misoliv 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday.

Navone converted seven of his 23 break-point chances and won 54 per cent of the total points played to prevail after two hours and 34 minutes.

“It was a tough battle,” Navone told Tennis TourTalk. “Filip is an incredible player, he has everything in his game. He is close to the Top 100. It was physically as well as mentally a tough one today. But I stayed focused and confident with the way I played. I came back from a set and a break down and from then on it became an even match. He became a bit tired and I was the better player in the third set.”

Navone could clinch his seventh ATP Challenger Tour career crown, his first since Cagliari, Italy last year.

Earlier in the day, Cerundolo rallied from a set down to outlast Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. The 23-year-old Buenos Aires native sent down five aces and won 67 per cent of his first-service points to secure victory in one hour and 48 minutes.

One swing and it’s over @jmcerundolo completes a gritty 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback over Molcan and will play for the trophy in Braunschweig! #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/eCZNjfuOmQ

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 11, 2025

“It was a tough match. I did a lot of mistakes with my forehand during the first set. I started to adjust it better in the second, played with the same speed but produced less unforced errors. I was more solid, which made the difference in the end,” Cerundolo told Tennis TourTalk.

The South American also played on grass this season, competing at The Queen’s Club in London and in the first round at Wimbledon. Between these two tournaments he reached the quarterfinals of the Modena Challenger on clay.

“Grass is not my favourite surface,” Cerundolo stated. “I only played a few times, this year twice and I lost both of my matches. Sometimes it’s difficult to adapt to the clay again but also to the different conditions. In Italy it was very hot, here it’s better.”

What are his impressions of the BRAWO Open and the ‘Tennistainment’? “It’s my first time here in Braunschweig. It’s very nice here. I would have loved to attend some of the concerts in the evening but I was scheduled to play my first in the morning,” Cerundolo said and is seeking his 12th ATP Challenger Tour career title, his first on European soil since 2021.