Jacopo Vasamì surprises at the Monza Challenger: Paul Jubb defeated

Everyone was expecting it Federico China and instead it appears Jacopo Vasami in the first round of the Challenger 100 Atkinsons Monza Open 25. The seventeen year old from Abruzzo, a promise of Italian tennis Raised in the academy of his idol Rafa Nadal, who entered the draw with a wild card, he defeated the British player with a quick 6/3, 6/4 Paul Jubb, number 218 in the world rankings and with his fifth defeat on his debut in 2025 in as many tournaments in which he has participated. Vasamì showed the coolness and wisdom of a veteran. Yet the player from Avezzano, who trains with Fabrizio Zeppieri at the Club Nomentano in Rome, was only making his second appearance on the category circuit after last week's experience in Barletta, where he had passed the qualifications, squandering a match point in the first round against the Ukrainian Vitaliy Sachko before giving in in the tie break of the third set. At the Villa Reale Tennis, however, he kept calm in moments of confusion (such as halfway through the first set and at the beginning of the second), arriving at the first important victory in his very young career.

"After the defeat in Barletta with so many missed opportunities I was left with a lot of regret – Vasamì recalls -, I dreamed about it for a few nights. At the same time, the opportunity to immediately return to the field was motivating". Last year Jacopo stood out in the European Under 18 Championships played in Oberpullendorf, Austria, where he reached the final, defeated by Romanian Luca Preda. However, the Abruzzese is burning the stages and the youth tournaments risk becoming tight: "It's the second Challenger of his career, it's a different world and with different players - he says -. In Monza the tournament is well looked after by the organizers and puts the players in the ideal conditions to express themselves at their best. Having these experiences will certainly help me a lot. Against Jubb I entered the court thinking I was competitive and I proved it. I waited for the right moment to participate in this type of tournament, I'm happy to have seen that I can stay at this level from now on. Here the opponents have a certain amount of experience, you face them with a greater level of attention, I hope to do the same in the next round too".

There will be someone waiting for him Martin Landaluce, another young up-and-coming player that Spain hopes to see soon in the top ranks. The 154-year-old from Madrid began his apprenticeship last year, winning the Olbia Challenger by beating Mattia Bellucci in the final act, currently ranked 130 ATP, but he was also close to the top-2025. He began 6 with the semifinal in the Canberra Challenger and qualifying for the Australian Open, then he suffered four consecutive defeats against less than irresistible opponents before arriving in Brianza, where he defeated the lucky loser Remy Bertola (1/6 4/XNUMX). He seems to be going through a normal period of decline in his path to high-level growth, it will be interesting to see if Vasamì will take advantage of his current insecurities.