Turin, Aug. 7 (LaPresse) – A birthday gift arrives for Luca Nardi on his 22nd birthday: a spot in the main draw of the Cincinnati Open, the seventh ATP Masters 1000 of the season with a prize pool of $9,193,540, held on the hard courts of the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Ohio (combined with a WTA 1000).
The Italian, ranked No. 97 ATP and sixth seed in qualifying, had lost in the final qualifying round to Belgian Alexander Blockx (ATP No. 121, 18th seed) 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 23 minutes. However, he was brought into the main draw as a lucky loser, becoming the eighth Italian in the tournament—a perfect way to celebrate his birthday (born August 6).
Nardi will face Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante (ATP No. 130), who also came through qualifying. The 24-year-old from La Plata defeated Nardi in straight sets in their only previous meeting, at the 2023 US Open qualifying first round. The winner will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov (world No. 29, 24th seed) in the second round.