acapulco
Coboli survives Acapulco final
The 23-year-old joins Sinner and Fognini as the only Italians to reach at least three ATP 500 finals
February 28, 2026
Mekstenes
Flavio Cobolli won the Acapulco semifinals in three sets, scoring 37 winners.
Written by ATP Staff
Flavio Coboli reached his fourth ATP Tour final with a hard-fought victory at the HSBC Telecom event in Mexico on Friday. The 23-year-old defeated Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 26 minutes. Coboli trailed 1-3 in the decider but advanced in five of the next six games.
Facing two break points in the deciding game at 3-3, Coboli was in danger with two consecutive breaks and a forehand winner. The fifth seed remained calm again after losing serve at 5-3, quickly rebounded and led 0-40 in the next game. He took his second match point and raised his arms in relief.
“We played an unbelievable game,” Coboly said. “I’m happy to reach the final in Mexico for the first time. I think we all had a good game. I was a little lucky in the end because sometimes you need luck in crucial moments. I’m really proud of myself because it’s not easy to come back.”
Coboli is the third Italian to reach three ATP 500 finals since the series began in 2009, joining Jannik Sinner (9 times) and Fabio Fognini (3 times). Next he will meet an American player in the final, either eighth-seeded Frances Tiafoe or Brandon Nakajima. If Coboli wins the Acapulco title, he could surpass his career-high of 17th.
Kekmanovic aims to reach the ATP 500 final for the first time. The Belgrade native defeated world No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the second round for the best win of his career in the PIF ATP Rankings.
