San Marino Challenger 2026 Draw: Eight Italians, Two All-Italian First-Round Derbies

The draw for the 33rd edition of the Internazionali di Tennis San Marino Open — an ATP Challenger 125 carrying a €203,900 prize purse — was completed on Sunday, setting the stage for a week of clay-court action at the Centro Tennis Cassa di Risparmio in Fonte dell'Ovo. Qualifying began July 26, with the main draw kicking off Monday July 27, and eight Italian players feature in the 32-man field.

Top half: Diaz Acosta leads the way

Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta, ranked No. 108 in the world and already a four-time Challenger champion in 2026, is the top seed. He will open against a qualifier. Lithuania's Vilius Gaubas, the No. 3 seed, faces France's Luka Pavlovic in his opener. Other intriguing first-round matchups include Hugo Dellien — coming off a title win at the Trieste Challenger — against former top-40 Spaniard Pedro Martinez.

Bottom half: Virtanen, Muller in action

Finland's Otto Virtanen, the No. 2 seed, begins his campaign against Italian wild card Filippo Romano. Defending champion Alexandre Muller takes on Stefano Napolitano, while former world No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili meets Serbia's Laslo Djere, a former world No. 27, in a clash of seasoned veterans.

Two all-Italian derbies highlight first round

The most eye-catching first-round matchup is the domestic duel between Andrea Pellegrino and Carlo Alberto Caniato. Pellegrino, runner-up in San Marino in 2023, arrives on the back of a strong season that included a run to the fourth round of the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome and a main-draw appearance at Roland Garros. Caniato faces a stiff test but told reporters he returns with "good feelings," recalling his solid performances at the same event last year.

Another all-Italian derby pits 2013 champion Marco Cecchinato against Franco Agamenone. For Cecchinato, who claimed his first career title on these very courts 13 years ago, it is a special homecoming. Completing the Italian contingent, Francesco Maestrelli draws Austria's Lukas Neumayer, and young Jacomo Vasamì awaits a qualifier.

Sources

• [Ubitennis](https://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2026/07/26/challenger-san-marino-il-tabellone-pellegrino-caniato-al-primo-turno-ce-anche-cecchinato/)