Marco Cecchinato, the sensational Italian who played in the semifinal of Roland Garros last Friday, will be one of the star attractions. In Paris, he defeated Novak Đoković and David Goffin, among others, thus confirming his current top form, and in April, he claimed his career-first ATP title in Budapest.
In addition to Cecchinato, this year the colors of Italy will be defended by last year’s Umag finalist Paolo Lorenzi and the experienced, multiple semifinalist Andreas Seppi. Cecchinato, Lorenzi and Seppi will try to continue in the rich tradition of Italian achievements in Umag. Fabio Fognini has been entertaining the audiences in Umag for a whole decade now, and in 2016, he became the first Italian to claim the title at Stella Maris. Before that, a total of three Italian players had been in the finals but failed to take the final step. In 2013, Fognini lost to Tommy Robredo, and in 2010, Potito Starace was defeated by Juan Carlos Ferrero. Finally, Filippo Volandri lost to Carlos Moya in 2003 and Guillermo Cañas in 2004.
The Italians who will not be able to follow the matches live will get to see the action in Umag via several TV broadcasts. The tournament will be aired in more than a hundred countries and covered by over 370 accredited journalists, while special reports will be broadcasted by the well-known sports media SKY and ATP Uncovered. Finally, the tournament will also be covered by other international media, including La Gazzetta dello Sport, Daily Mail, Super Tennis, DAZN, Arena Sports, Premier Sports and Eurosport.
