CESENATICO/STARNBERG, February 8, 2026

Oleg Prihodko is the champion of the Start Romagna Cup – 1st Trofeo Città di Cesenatico, the new ATP Challenger 50 tournament, which concluded after a week of intense battles in front of packed stands at the Circolo Tennis “Anselmo Godio”.

In the featured final, the 28-year-old Ukrainian, ranked No. 472 in the ATP Rankings before the event, came back from a set down to defeat Italy’s Raul Brancaccio 6–7(8), 6–4, 6–4 after 2 hours and 31 minutes of high-quality tennis. Brancaccio, currently No. 401 but with a career-high ranking of No. 121 achieved in February 2023, was playing his fourth Challenger final and was aiming for a third title after victories in San Benedetto del Tronto (2022) and Noumea (2023).

The opening set was tightly contested. Brancaccio started nervously, struggling with his forehand and first serve, and dropped his serve early to fall behind 1–3. Prihodko extended his lead to 4–1, but the Italian gradually found his rhythm, broke back, and levelled the score at 4–4. Both players had chances before the set was decided by a dramatic tie-break, which Brancaccio eventually won 10–8, saving a set point with an ace and feeding off the strong support of the home crowd.

Riding that momentum, Brancaccio raced to a 3–0 lead in the second set and even had three chances to go up 4–0. That proved to be a turning point: Prihodko regained confidence, won five games in a row from 1–4, and, despite saving break points in both the eighth and tenth games, closed out the set 6–4 to force a decider.

In the third set, Prihodko struck first with an early break and confirmed it for a 2–0 lead, saving three immediate break points. Brancaccio managed to level at 2–2, and the match stayed on serve until 4–4. At that moment, after a medical timeout for the Ukrainian due to pain in his right forearm, Brancaccio suffered a costly service game, hitting three consecutive double faults and missing a forehand to hand over the decisive break. Prihodko then served out the match at love to seal the biggest win of his career.

Never give up mentality

28-year-old Oleg Prihodko captures his maiden ATP Challenger title after battling past Brancaccio 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4 in Cesenatico#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/PnpAqVxQEL

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 8, 2026

“This week the atmosphere was incredible, with a knowledgeable and passionate crowd,” said Prihodko, who earns 50 ATP Ranking points for his first ATP Challenger Tour title – after losing a final in Antalya in December 2021 – and jumps 107 places to No. 365 in the world rankings. “I had to fight from the start of the tournament and again today, but I’m a fighter. Cesenatico will stay in my heart, also because of the hospitality and the perfect organization, worthy of an even higher-level event.”

The trophy was presented by Andrea Corsini, President of Start Romagna, while the Mayor of Cesenatico, Matteo Gozzoli, awarded the finalist Brancaccio.

“It’s hard to speak right now after a match like this,” Brancaccio admitted. “That’s tennis. Congratulations to Oleg for the level he showed all week. I thank the crowd for their support, even if the ending wasn’t what I hoped for. I’ll keep working every day to improve and try to climb higher in the rankings.”