The Piedmontese player comes back against Bolivar Idarraga and flies into the round of 16 of the junior Slam, where he will face Hance. Also in the running in the doubles with Gribaldo
Ahead of a dream Wednesday at the Australian Open, with Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti playing in the quarterfinals, the Italian flag is also flying high in the junior tournament thanks to Simone Massellani. With his second-round victory, coming back from 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 against Colombia’s Juan Miguel Bolivar Idarraga, the Italian secured his place in the round of 16. He arrives on the back of two convincing performances, including a fine first-round victory over Puerto Rico’s Yannik Alvarez, seeded No. 16, 6-0, 6-3. He will face Keaton Hance for a place in the quarterfinals between Wednesday, January 28, and Thursday, January 29. The American, already ranked No. 1216 in the ATP rankings, is the fourth seed in the draw.
Massellani is currently Italy’s No. 2 junior, ranked No. 35, behind Matteo Gribaldo in 28th place. The Piedmontese player climbed over 2,000 places in the ITF rankings in 2024, reaching the top 400, with further improvements in 2025. He turned 18 on January 12, a few days before his Slam debut. In 2025, Simone won the J200 on clay in Belgrade, adding to his three triumphs in 2024. Originally from Caramagna Piemonte, in the province of Cuneo, he is bringing prestige to Italian juniors in Australia, both in singles and doubles. A player with a stronger backhand than forehand, he will actually be back on court tomorrow night, between Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29, alongside Matteo Gribaldo.
The doubles— – The pair of Italian players, both born in 2008, will face Americans Hance (curiously Massellani’s opponent in the singles as well) and Konduri, No. 4 in the draw. The match, valid for the round of 16, will take place at 1:30 a.m. Gribaldo, after losing in the second round of singles but with the satisfaction of training with Lorenzo Musetti, benefited from his partnership with his friend Massellani to beat Chlodnicki/Tazabekov 7-6, 6-4 in their debut. Simone now has a golden opportunity to make his way through both draws in his first experience at this level. Among other things, should he beat Hance in singles, he would become the first Italian to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open juniors since 2019, when Lorenzo Musetti won the title by beating Nava in the final and Zeppieri in the semifinals.
