The USA’s Aleksandar Kovacevic faced a shocking first-round loss at the Italian Open, falling to Spain’s Carlos Taberner. Just as the American was on the verge of winning, an unexpected ‘let’ call disrupted his momentum and posed a new challenge.
In the wake of his first-round defeat, Kovacevic hit out at Taberner with a brief message on social media.
Aleksandar Kovacevic Opens Up in the Wake of His Italian Open First-Round Defeat After an Unexpected Decision
Taberner started strong against Kovacevic, taking the first set 6-3. The 26-year-old, however, mounted an impressive comeback in the second, winning it 6-1 to force a decider. Kovacevic carried that momentum into the third set, leading 5-4 and 30-15 on his opponent’s serve.
During a crucial rally, just a couple of points away from victory, a spare ball rolled onto the court while Taberner hit his shot into the net. Kovacevic, who would have otherwise won the point due to his opponent’s error, was forced to replay the rally after the umpire called a “let.” The decision didn’t sit well with Aleksandar Kovacevic, who engaged in an argument with the umpire to no avail.
Minutes later, Taberner, who was trailing his opponent, turned the corner to steal the win 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 and booked his place in the second round.
A user shared the incident on X, questioning if the American was treated unfairly or if the umpire made the correct decision.
Was @kova_aleks robbed or was the umpire in the right?🤔 Likely match over if he wins this point. pic.twitter.com/g3WKA7XkO9
— Luke ✞ (@HawkiingLines)
After noticing the discussion, Kovacevic weighed in with a seeming dig at his opponent’s surprising celebration after the controversial incident.
“You ever seen a player celebrate a let call hahahaaa”
You ever seen a player celebrate a let call hahahaaa
— Aleks Kovacevic (@kova_aleks)
After Getting Past Aleksandar Kovacevic in the Italian Open 1R, Carlos Taberner Will Face Alexei Popyrin
Carlos Taberner started her Italian Open campaign by defeating France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 0-6, 6-0 in the first round of qualifying. The Spaniard later received a walkover win against Jaime Faria in the second round of qualifying before eliminating Kovacevic in the first round of the main draw.
Taberner now sets his eyes on his second-round match against Australia’s Alexei Popyrin. By virtue of being the 24th seed in the tournament, Popyrin received a direct entry into the second round.”
The 2024 Canadian Open champion is still searching for his best form in 2025, having suffered early exits at numerous tournaments. Popyrin bowed out in the first round in Melbourne (the Australian Open), Rotterdam, Qatar, and Dubai. His other results include a third-round finish at Indian Wells, a second-round exit in Miami, and another early departure in Madrid.
His standout performance so far has been a quarterfinal finish in Monte-Carlo. Popyrin would look to make a deep run in Rome and improve his underwhelming 5–9 win-loss record.
