Navone and the cramps upset Auger-Aliassime in a double tie-break, Felix third Top 10 out in Rome
Mariano Navone (No 44) stunned Félix Auger-Aliassime (No 4) 7-6(4), 7-6(5) at the Rome Masters 1000, finishing off a cramping world No. 5 who had resorted to an underarm second serve to save a match point. The Argentine takes the first top-10 scalp of his career in just under three hours, becoming the third top-10 man out of the tournament in 24 hours.
Félix Auger-Aliassime, Rome 2026 | © AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino/SIPA Press)
Argentine Mariano Navone, the world No. 44, stunned No. 4 seed Félix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the second round of the Rome ATP Masters 1000, surviving a near three-hour battle on the BNP Paribas Arena to claim the biggest win of his career and become the seventh seed out of the men’s draw – and the third top-10 casualty in 24 hours, after Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur fell on Friday.
The Argentine, the 2026 Bucharest Open champion and a clay specialist by trade, had already beaten Auger-Aliassime in three sets at the BMW Open in Munich last month. He took the first set in the tie-break, sealing it with a fierce winner that lit up the Italian crowd, and held his nerve through a second set in which the Canadian appeared to be regaining control.
Auger-Aliassime served at 6-5 second set
Auger-Aliassime, the world No. 5 and a Monte-Carlo quarter-finalist this season, served at 6-5 in the second to push the match into a decider. He could not see it through. The 25-year-old began cramping badly in the closing stages and was reduced to playing on one leg, drawing a time violation warning when he could not move quickly between his first and second deliveries.
Down match point, he resorted to an underarm second serve and won the point, but Navone closed out the tie-break 7-5 to seal the upset after two hours and 53 minutes.
A first top-10 win and a body that had to hold together
“It was a really tough match, especially with the nerves at the end of the second set, a physical and mental test on top of a long week,” Navone said after the match. “It’s my first win against a top-10 player, and a very, very special day for me. I want to thank my family and my friends in Argentina who have supported me throughout.”
The Argentine had been broken twice in the second set and trailed 4-5, then 5-6, before forcing the tie-break. “I was two breaks down so it was a real challenge in my head. Against a top player, it’s not easy to be back. But I enjoyed every point. Sometimes you get angry because things are not going well, but this one is really special, and I’m going to enjoy it.”
He closed in Spanish, dedicating the win to those watching from home: “For Roma, for the people of Argentina. I suffered a lot out there, but it’s a very important win, for my confidence, for everything this match represents to me. Thank you all so much.”
de minaur, djokovic AND now auger-aliassime
Auger-Aliassime joins Djokovic (No. 4, beaten by Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic on Friday) and de Minaur (No. 6) as the third top-10 player out of the men’s draw inside 24 hours. He is the seventh seed gone overall, with Valentin Vacherot (No. 22, walkover), Tallon Griekspoor (No. 27), Cameron Norrie (No. 17) and Corentin Moutet (No. 28) also already eliminated.
Navone will face the winner of João Fonseca and Hamad Medjedović in the third round.
