In the Dominican Republic, Argentina’s Mariano Navone captured the first hard-court title of his career, winning the second edition of the República Dominicana Open – Copa Cap Cana. The 25-year-old defeating Mattia Bellucci, 7-5, 6-4, after two hours and five minutes to lift the biggest trophy of his career.
Navone, seeded sixth, arrived in the championship match after a demanding semifinal victory over Belgium’s Alexander Blockx. Bellucci, by contrast, had not dropped a single set throughout the tournament, and had spent significantly less time on court leading into the final.
From the start, Navone dictated the pace with consistent baseline play, dominating the longer rallies and putting constant pressure on the Italian. Bellucci conceded a crucial break in the opening set while struggling to find answers against the Argentine’s solidity from the back of the court. In the second set, Navone secured two early breaks and maintained control until closing out the match.
The triumph marks a major milestone for Navone, who had previously won all eight of his ATP Challenger Tour titles on clay. Competing under sunny and hot conditions with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), Navone kept his composure despite a heat break during the second set.
The world No. 79 withstood four aces from Bellucci, broke the Italian’s serve three times and won 53 percent of the total points played to seal the victory.
