Francesco Passaro ITA, 2001.01.07
The countdown is over: the City of Perugia Tennis Internationals | GIMa. Tennis Cup are ready to go. On Saturday evening, the main draw of the ATP Challenger 125 tournament was drawn, organized by MEF Tennis Events on the red clay courts of the Tennis Club Perugia, which will start on Sunday 9 June with the qualifying matches. Lots of Italy present in the cadet draw and in the main draw, where Luciano Darderi leads the ranks of the eleven Azzurri. The Italian-Argentine tennis player, who has received an invitation from Federtennis, will face another wild card in a blue derby: Federico Cinà. Anticipation for the fascinating challenge between Borna Coric and Giulio Zeppieri and for the debut of Fabio Fognini, making his debut with Enrico Dalla Valle.
The most awaited man passed by – “I arrive in Perugia with a lot more awareness and confidence than in previous years. It was an intense month and at the same time full of emotions.” Two days before the start of the main draw Francesco Passaro sounds the charge. The tennis player from Perugia aims to do well in his home tournament after the title won in the Turin Challenger and the semi-final reached in the Vicenza one; as well as the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. On his debut he will face the Dominican Nick Hardt: “I am really proud of the results I have achieved and therefore I come here with the desire to do well and win the title. It would be a wonderful thing for me to triumph in my city.” In Perugia the world number 134 never got beyond the second round. Doing well this time would mean getting closer to the top 100: “This year I feel more mature both mentally and in terms of shots. Here the ball travels a lot and jumps a lot. These are features that fit my game perfectly. In past years it was not easy to manage the pressure and the desire to do well. I hope there are many people following me. Surely the top 100 is a goal, it’s what all children dream of achieving when they start playing tennis. I came close two years ago and I think I have all the weapons to be able to do it.”
Main draw drawn – The first round match between Luciano Darderi, number 40 in the world, and Federico Cinà, a great promise of our movement, is the best there could be to ignite the audience of the Tennis Club Perugia. The Italian-Argentine, the No. 1 seed in the draw, is fresh from the second round played at Roland Garros; while the young seventeen-year-old from Palermo in Paris, in the junior tournament, reached the third round in singles and reached the final in doubles. Number two seed Laslo Djere will face Dimitar Kuzmanov on his debut, while number 3 Borna Coric will find Giulio Zeppieri on the other side of the net. Another derby will see Fabio Fognini and Enrico Dalla Valle facing each other. The qualifying draw has also been drawn with the No. 1 seed Samuel Vincent Ruggeri playing in the first round against former Top 10 player Pablo Carreno Busta. The wild cards Federico Bondioli, Pietro Genovese and Pietro Lavoratori will face Giovanni Fonio, Alessandro Giannessi and Riccardo Bonadio respectively.
