On the fields of Monte Urpinu, from 1st to 7th May, racket enthusiasts will be able to admire a unique show, thanks to the premium event of the newly created Challenger 175 category. We'll explain why…
"You just can't miss it." How many times have we heard someone make use of this overused expression only to find ourselves disappointed by those who had given us bad advice. But this time it's different. In fact, if you love the sport conceived back in 1873 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, there is an event that you just cannot miss and the reason is soon explained.
Meanwhile, what will be staged from 1 to 7 May in the splendid setting of the Cagliari Tennis Club is one of the most delicious first fruits. Great tennis returns to Italy with the European debut of the new "Challenger 175" category - already nicknamed "Super Challenger" - designed by the ATP precisely to offer great entertainment, allowing very high ranking players to take part in tournaments which, until last year, they were off limits. A real revolution that arises from the need to create a new opportunity for the top players, in the second week of some Masters 1000 (in the case of the island tournament, that of Madrid). To make this possible, the ATP has eliminated the restriction on the top 50, so much so that on a theoretical level, at the "Sardegna Open" you could have a scoreboard with all those registered by right of classification within the top 30.
Leaving aside the conditional, the main draw of the Sardinian tournament is already one to satisfy the most discerning palates, obviously net of the results that will come out of the first week in the Spanish Masters 1000. If the 26-year-old Croatian Borna Coric is leading the seeding, already behind him, among the members, we find the number 20 Atp Lorenzo Musetti, a talent that alone is worth the price of the ticket. And, to stay on the subject of blue stars, Lorenzo Sonego and Marco Cecchinato are also on the draw. On the subject of "Next Gen", spectators will be able to admire a champion with a sure future, the surprise of the last Australian Open Ben Shelton, a twenty-year-old from Atlanta who is discovering the charm of red clay. And, still on the subject of Americans, there will also be a lot of fun with Maxime Cressy's serve and volleyball, one of the last exponents of an endangered species.
