Matteo Arnaldi sparks revival with victory in Cagliari Challenger | ATP Tour

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Arnaldi sparks revival with ‘unreal’ Cagliari Challenger victory

Tabilo wins Aix-en-Provence, Wong becomes first Challenger champion from Hong Kong

May 04, 2026

Matteo Arnaldi’s victory at the Sardinia Open on Sunday is one of the highlights from the 2026 ATP Challenger season.

Just weeks after sharing that he had endured a “difficult six months” of his career, citing a lingering right foot injury, the 25-year-old flipped the script in memorable fashion, claiming his biggest title and first victory at any level since June 2023.

The Italian defeated former World No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 in the clay court final and will now head to the ATP Masters 1000 home tournament in Rome.

“It feels amazing, the way I started [the season]how the year went, the problems I had this year, it’s not true to be here with the title,” Arnaldi told commentator Rob Werner.

Arnaldi, who reached the top number 29 in 2024, arrived in Cagliari after losing in the qualifiers for the Mutua Madrid Open, where he was defending his quarter-final spot. Entering the Challenger 175 event on a four-game skid with a 2-8 season record at all levels, Arnaldi is proud of the level he produced this week.

“I don’t think I’ve realized what I’ve done because I haven’t played much. I started playing tennis full time two weeks ago,” said Arnaldi. “So I didn’t expect this, it’s very special, I’m proud of it.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to come or not. After Madrid, I was talking and I wasn’t feeling well. I wasn’t in the best shape. We just went home, we tried to practice for a few days and see how it would feel. The response was good, so we were like, ‘Let’s try and play as many games as we can’. I’m very happy to win this title in the first three years.

IL CAMPIONE 🇮🇹🏆@mattearnalds claims the biggest title of his career at the Sardegna Open!#ATPChallenger | @federtennis pic.twitter.com/hBVTxcEpe8

– ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 3, 2026

The Sanremo native saved a match point in the quarter-finals against Nuno Borges, keeping his tournament alive with a 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(3) victory after three hours. Even after playing three decisive games in Cagliari, Arnaldi’s right foot was resistant to the physical demands of the week.

“It was very bad at first, but then it got better. I’m actually surprised,” said Arnaldi. “Normally the last month, it’s been the opposite. So that’s a very good sign. I don’t have any expectations for Rome, I just want to recover and see how it feels in the next few days. But if it’s like this and I can practice, I’m sure I’ll be able to get back to the level I want and I think I showed that this week.”

Tabilo wins the second title of Aix-en-Provence
Alejandro Tabilo of Chile was crowned Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole for the second time in three years. The 28-year-old, who previously won the French Open in 2024, defeated Belgian Zizou Bergs 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the championship match.

After defeating four top-100 players en route to the title, Tabilo became one of four players to win multiple trophies at the Challenger 175 level, along with Ugo Humbert, Nuno Borges and Mariano Navone.

Alejandro Tabilo signs autographs moments after winning the Aix-en-Provence Challenger.” style=”width:100%” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2026/05/04/15/32/tabilo-aixenprovencech-2026-fans”.jp.
^{Alejandro Tabilo signs autographs after winning the Aix-en-Provence Challenger. Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Challenger}

Tabilo rose eight places to No. 35 in the PIF ATP Rankings. His best result at ATP Tour level this year is a run to the final in Rio de Janeiro.

Wong made history; Safiullin among other Challenger champions
Coleman Wong entered the record books when he won the Jiangxi Open, becoming the first Hong Kong champion in ATP Challenger history. The 21-year-old defeated Adam Walton 7-5, 7-6(4) in the final and is now a career-high No. 110 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Roman Safiullin won his second consecutive Challenger title after a marathon week at the Danube Upper Austria Open sponsored by SKE. Two weeks after winning the Oeiras Challenger as a qualifier, the 28-year-old needed a decision in four of his five matches in Mauthausen, where he survived Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the final. Safiullin defeated Faria in the quarter-finals in Oeiras by the same score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(1).

Spaniard Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo lifted his first Challenger title at the Ostra Group Open By Porsche Servisni Centrum Ostrava. The 27-year-old defeated home hope Zdenek Kolar 6-4, 7-6(4) in the final.

Gauthier Onclin ended his streak of titles in Côte d’Ivoire, where he defeated American Michael Mmoh 6-3, 6-4 in the final. The Belgian is ranked world number 183. Onclin leaves Abidjan after winning 10 matches in a row.

Local Onclin Buvaysar Gadamauri was crowned at Shymkent Challenger 2. The first Challenger champion, Gadamauri knocked out 18-year-old Manas Dhamne of India 7-6(6), 6-4 in the final.

Phew… what a week 😮‍💨#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/K0EPA1Xrb1

– ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 3, 2026