Marco Cecchinato Closes In On Top 20 Debut

Italy’s Marco Cecchinato is just 60 points away from a place in the world’s top 20 as he continues his breakthrough year on the tour.

Prior to 2018, the 25-year-old had only ever won three main draw matches on the ATP World Tour. His rapid rise in the rankings began in March when he won a Challenger title in Santiago, Chile. A month later Cecchinato claimed his maiden ATP title at the Budapest Open after gaining entry into the draw as a lucky loser. It wasn’t until the French Open where he burst onto the main stage of men’s tennis. In Paris he stunned the draw by reaching the semi-finals. Prior to Roland Garros, he had never won a match at a grand slam tournament.

On Sunday Cecchinato added to his growing title collection by winning the Umag Open. In the final he defeated Guido Pella 6-2, 7-6(4). During his week at the Croatian tournament, he dropped just one set.

“I think it’s the best moment of my life,” Cecchinato told atpworldtour.com. “This year I’ve won two titles, I made the semi-finals at Roland Garros. I feel good, because tomorrow (Monday) I’ll be No. 22 in the ATP Rankings. I’m very happy, because I’m playing very, very well.”

Until the end of the year, Cecchinato has only 130 ranking points to defend. Positioning him in a strong place to rise further. At the start of the year he was ranked 109th in the world and had never broken into the world’s top 75.

“I need to work every day and focus. I think this is the motivation for me,” he said.

Rising five places, Cecchinato is the biggest climber in the ATP top 30 this week. Elsewhere, the top seven places remain unchanged. Rafael Nadal currently leads with 9310 points. A 2220-point lead over second place Roger Federer.

Fabio Fognini and Steve Johnson have also climbed the rankings following their tournament successes. Fognini has moved from 15th to 14th after winning the Swedish Open. Meanwhile, Steve Johnson has risen 14 places to 34th after winning the Hall of Fame Open in Newport.

ATP top 20 (week commencing 23/7/18)