Damir Džumhur outlasted Matteo Arnaldi 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 in a grueling Umag opener where every set required a tiebreak. Džumhur’s coolness under pressure, especially saving all three break points he faced in the deciding set, proved decisive in a match of minuscule margins.
The first set saw eight breaks of serve, with Džumhur eventually taking the tiebreak. Arnaldi responded in the second, forcing his own tiebreak and leveling the match. The final set was a dizzying exchange of breaks—each player broke six times—before Džumhur edged the tiebreak to seal the win.
Remarkably, both players won exactly 128 total points, but Džumhur held the edge in first-serve accuracy (68% to 54%) and saved 8 of 11 break points overall (72%). He also committed just one double fault to Arnaldi’s five, steadying his serve when it mattered most.