Cinà Falls At Kitzbühel: Italy Left Without Anyone In The Main Draw

Federico Cinà was overturned by Facundo Diaz Acosta in the first round of the ATP 250 in Kitzbühel: 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in two hours and nine minutes, after winning the opening set and edging ahead in the third as well. With his exit, Italy no longer has any representatives in the main draw.

The nineteen-year-old from Palermo had reached the main draw through qualifying, beating Poland's Daniel Michalski and then winning the all-Italian derby against Lorenzo Giustino. Against the Argentine, a clay-court specialist, he had laid the right foundations: the first set closed out 6-4, then a 2-0 start in the third set thanks to a break sealed with a fine half-volley.

From there, however, the match shifted momentum. Diaz Acosta immediately clawed back the deficit and capitalized on the dip of the Italian, who piled up unforced errors at the decisive moments and let the Argentine slip away. The comeback had already been signalled in the second set, and in the third it materialized without Cinà managing to get back into the contest.

There remains the regret for a match the young Italian had in hand for long stretches, but also the sign of an upward trajectory: qualifying rounds won in a string of victories speak of a talent learning to hold his own at the level of ATP tournaments, even when the ending leaves a bitter taste. Diaz Acosta, for his part, earns a second-round meeting with Alexander Bublik.