Mariano Navone scored a near-perfect second set on Wednesday on his way to reaching the quarterfinals of the Uruguay Open.
The 24-year-old, who is aiming for his second ATP Challenger Tour title in three weeks, cruised past former world number 16 Marco Cecchinato 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 to avoid the upset trend in Montevideo. After dropping the opener, Navone stormed back and lost only two points in the entire second set (23/25), almost claiming a gold set.
Navone won the first 20 points of the second set to lead 5-0 before Cecchinato ended the Argentine’s quest for a golden set. Navone, ranked No. 72 in the world in the PIF ATP Rankings, then trailed in the early stages of the decider but scored four straight games from 2-4 to escape.
QFs called, @marionavone1 answered ☎️
The Argentinian comes back from a set down to beat Cecchinato 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 to book his place in the last eight in the Uruguayan capital!#ATPCchallenger | @uruguayopen pic.twitter.com/s8569sJDoo
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 13, 2025
The clay court event saw a spate of upsets, with top seed Sebastian Baez and defending champion Tristan Boyer falling in the first round, and on Wednesday American Emilio Nava was stunned by Brazilian Gustavo Heide.
Nava was aiming for his 45th Challenger win of the year, which would have broken the single-season record among the Americans. But Heide spoiled those hopes with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory in a two-hour, 42-minute battle against the third seed.
Did you know?
In 2023, Navone claimed a season-leading five Challenger trophies and the following season he became the first player in the Open Era to be seeded in his first major main draw.
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