At the Masters tournament in Rome, Andrea Pellegrino is enjoying a fairytale rise. Coming from nowhere, he’s fought his way into the main draw and ultimately into the hearts of the fans.
It was a memorable scene that unfolded in the midday heat of Rome. Qualifier Andrea Pellegrino let out a roar of joy, unable to believe his luck. The fans ecstatically cheered the success of their new local hero.
“The Andrea Pellegrino fairy tale continues to light up the Foro Italico,” wrote the Italian outlet OA sport. Pellegrino had just pulled off a complete upset by defeating U.S. star Frances Tiafoe (7-6, 6-1) and had marched straight into the round of 16 in his very first Masters main draw appearance.
Spectacular match against Jannik Sinner awaits
There, he will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. “This is unbelievable. I never thought I’d reach this level. I’m very happy with my performance,” the rising star said in an on-court interview.
And indeed, Pellegrino’s fairy-tale run was completely unexpected. At the advanced age of 29, ranked outside the top 100 in the world, Pellegrino fought his way through the qualifiers at a Masters for the first time—as a player who otherwise spends most of his time on the ATP Challenger Tour.
In addition, Pellegrino had recently been repeatedly hampered by injuries, losing five of his last six matches before the tournament. “I’ve been through a tough time. I suffered a back injury. Last month I skipped a few tournaments and missed Monte Carlo. Being here is something very special for me,” said Pellegrino, who consistently stands out with his sleeveless T-shirts.
Pellegrino’s fairy-tale rise
You could tell just how special it was for Pellegrino with every single rally. In difficult conditions, the right-hander fought fiercely for every point. His opponent Tiafoe struggled with the slow court and especially with the wind. After 71 minutes, Pellegrino finally converted his sixth set point.
Spurred on by the fans, the right-hander quickly pulled ahead 3-0 in the second set, eventually winning it 6-1. And so, following in the footsteps of Lorenzo Musetti (2020), Davide Scala (1997), and Corrado Borroni (1995), he became the first Italian to reach the round of 16 as a qualifier at the prestigious tournament in Rome.
On his way there, Pellegrino had benefited from the withdrawal of the in-form Frenchman Arthur Fils. Prior to that, he had knocked his compatriot Luca Nardi out of the tournament in a hard-fought match.
ATP Masters in Rome: A telling gesture from Pellegrino
In qualifying, his relationship with the fans looked quite different. In the final qualifying round against Spaniard Martin Landaluce, Pellegrino had a large portion of the crowd against him, apparently because they had placed bets on his opponent.
After the victory, he first walked toward the stands and made a money gesture before leaving the court, raising his little finger in a warning gesture.
When Pellegrino got trounced by Sinner
But all that is now history. Pellegrino can look forward to a showdown with the dominant Sinner. In their last meeting, the final of the ITF tournament in Santa Margherita di Pula in 2019, Pellegrino had won only two games (1-6, 1-6).
“I remember,” he said with a smile, but added that this match still has to be played first.
Former German tennis pro Patrik Kühnen summed it up: “He’s driving the Italians here crazy. Things can only go up from here for him. This is sensational for Pellegrino.”
Sinner said: “I’m very happy for him. He trains very hard. He has nothing to lose; I have a lot to lose.”