BRAUNSCHWEIG, July 12, 2025
Mariano Navone emerged as the champion of the 31st edition of the BRAWO Open in Braunschweig. On a chilly and overcast Saturday afternoon at the Bürgerpark in Lower Saxony, the 24-year-old Argentine defeated his compatriot and close friend Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-5 in front of packed stands.
Fresh off a second-round appearance at Wimbledon, where he upset Denis Shapovalov before falling to Pedro Martinez, Navone made a seamless return to the clay courts in Germany. The World No. 91 opened his Braunschweig campaign with a win over Peru’s rising talent Ignacio Buse, followed by a victory against German wild card entry Diego Dedura. He then overcame fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands and Austria’s Filip Misolic, the tournament’s sixth seed, to book his place in the final.
In what was the fifth career meeting between the two Argentines, Navone held the upper hand in most of the crucial baseline rallies. The No. 4 seed of the €181,250 ATP Challenger event broke Cerundolo’s serve three times and won 57 per cent of the total points played. As light rain began to fall, Navone closed out the encounter after one hour and 34 minutes, converting his third match point.
Triumph in rainy Braunschweig!
Mariano Navone wins the all- final of the BRAWO Open 6-3 7-5 against Juan-Manuel Cerundolo to clinch his 7th ATP Challenger Tour career title.#ATPChallenger #Braunschweig @AATenis @marianonavone1 pic.twitter.com/RPkVSwYYY6
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) July 12, 2025
“It was important to stay focused at every stage of the match,” Navone said afterwards. “Juan Manuel is a dangerous player. The match could have gone either way, but I managed to attack at the right moments. In the end, it came down to small details.”
Navone was visibly moved by the victory, acknowledging the level of competition on the Challenger Tour. “Winning a title at this level always feels special. There are so many tough opponents out here – real warriors of the tour,” he said. “It’s incredibly demanding. I’ve had a complicated year and lost quite a few ranking spots, but now I’m finding my way back.”
Asked about his post-match celebration plans, Navone grinned: “Right now, I’m just very tired. I don’t drink alcohol, but maybe I’ll treat myself to a Coke. We’ll play some music and celebrate as a team. A title on the Challenger Tour doesn’t happen every day.”
The victory marks Navone’s seventh career ATP Challenger title and his first of the 2025 season. Along with €25,740 in prize money, the South American collects 125 valuable ranking points — a much-needed boost as he aims to climb back up the ATP rankings. Once ranked as high as No. 24 in the world, Navone looks poised for another run toward the top.
Kirkov/Stevens crowned doubles champions
Earlier in the day, Vasil Kirkov and Bart Stevens captured the doubles title. The US-American-Dutch combination defeated Alexander Merino of Peru and German Christoph Negritu 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and six minutes.
Kirkov and Stevens claimed their third team title of the season, the second on German soil following their triumph at the Neckarcup in Bad Rappenau last month. They split € 9,010 in prize money and earned 125 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
“We had a tough draw but we survived and took one match at a time,” Kirkov told Tennis TourTalk.
“We get to know each other better and better. We started to team up at the end of last year. We keep more the system going on. That’s in our favour and it works. That’s nice,” Stevens added.
The team also enjoyed the “Tennistainment” offered to spectators and players throughout the week.
“We were having dinner here every night and enjoyed the live acts. It’s my first time here and it’s incredible. It was great to have the chance to relax in the evenings. It was a great,” Kirkov said.
Asked about their favourite group or music act, Stevens responded: “Alphaville was really nice yesterday. But every night was great.”
