Matteo Donati debuts on tour with upset of Santiago Giraldo at Rome
Local wild card Matteo Donati made his ATP Tour debut a match to remember, rallying to upset 49th-ranked Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 Sunday in the opening round of the Italian Open.
Ranked 275th, the 20-year-old Donati showed off an aggressive game, often dictating play from within the baseline to the approval of a vocal crowd inside the Foro Italico's main stadium.
Donati will next meet sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych.
Also, 15th-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa narrowly edged Florian Mayer of Germany 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (4).
Elsewhere on the red clay, Leonardo Mayer of Argentina eliminated another Italian wild card, Federico Gaio, 6-3, 6-4. And Jeremy Chardy of France beat Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 7-6 (0), 6-4 and will next face third-seeded Andy Murray.
