Sixth seed Mariano Navone will face Mattia Bellucci in the Copa Can Cana final. Whoever wins will bag their first title of the 2026 season.
Navone has won six out of 13 matches so far this season, having a 2-7 win-loss record on the ATP Tour (main-draw matches) before the Copa Cap Cana. The Argentine suffered an opening-round exit in Indian Wells, and he then entered the Challenger event.
A three-set win over Nick Hardt followed by straight-set victories over Shintaro Mochizuki and Valentin Royer took Navone to the semifinals, and here, he came back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) to book his place in the Copa Cap Cana final.
Bellucci has won ten out of 18 matches across all tournaments so far in 2026, reaching his first final in the ongoing Challenger Event. The Italian, like Navone, suffered an opening-round exit in Indian Wells, losing to Gabriel Diallo in straight sets.
At the Copa Cap Cana, he booked his place in the semifinals with straight-set wins over Francesco Maestrelli, fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz, and fifth seed Raphael Collignon. Here, the 24-year-old faced eighth seed Adam Walton and won 6-3, 7-5 to book his place in the final.
The two have not had any prior encounters, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
While Navone is the higher-ranked player of the two, his tour-level performances have been disappointing, while Bellucci, who hasn’t done too well either with two wins out of seven main-draw matches, has managed to go through the tournament without dropping a set. So, the Italian might have a slight edge entering the match.
Navone has won 148 out of 213 points (~69.4%) on his first serve so far in Punta Cana, serving three aces and seven double faults. The Argentine’s net numbers have not been particularly good, winning 27 out of 44 points (~61.4%).
Navone loves to play aggressively and will look to go for his shots. However, he will have to be careful not to produce too many unforced errors, hitting 49 of those in his last match.
Bellucci’s first-serve numbers at the Challenger event have been considerably better than Navone’s, winning 99 out of 130 points (~76.5%), amassing 19 aces and nine double faults. The Italian also produced 62 winners and 87 unforced errors while winning 11 out of 16 points (68.75%) at the net.
Navone will not be an easy opponent to beat, but if Bellucci can maintain his consistency and composure, he should manage to come out on top and win his fifth Challenger title.
Tip 1: Bellucci to concede less than ten games.
Tip 2: Match to finish in two sets.…Read more by Neelabhra Roy