Arnaldi Unlocks Rome: Munar Beaten In Three Sets On Debut

Matteo Arnaldi beat Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the afternoon on Centre Court at the Internazionali d'Italia, reaching the second round in Rome for the third time in his career after the 2023 and 2024 editions.

For the Sanremo native, in the draw with a wild card, it's his second consecutive win against a top-level opponent after Sunday's triumph at the Cagliari Challenger 175, where he had downed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 in the final. It was his first title since June 2023, after six difficult months marked by a right foot injury. The boost from the Sardegna Open had brought him back to ATP No. 106, and this win in Rome is worth more precious points in the climb back toward the top 100.

The head-to-head record with Munar, world No. 38, was 3-2 in the Spaniard's favor (2-2 on clay): now the sixth meeting levels the matchup at 3-3, with clay becoming 3-2 for the Italian. After dominating the first set, Arnaldi suffered Munar's comeback in the second, before finding the decisive break in the final set and managing the close.

In the second round Arnaldi will face Alex de Minaur, the sixth seed in the draw. A very different match: the Australian comes in fresh, the Italian with a full tank of confidence but the heavy legs of someone playing his sixth match in nine days.