Chasing after an 11th Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic will face unheralded Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round. This is the first meeting between the two, which is not unexpected given that the Italian has mostly been active on Challenger Tours over the last few years.
Maestrelli did not have any headline-making achievements during his junior career, but did rise to No. 50 on the junior rankings. Let’s take a look at how his senior career has panned out since he turned pro in 2020.
Francesco Maestrelli’s Career So Far
Before the Australian Open, Maestrelli had played only one main-draw match on the ATP Tour. He competed at the 2022 Firenze Open in Florence, losing 6-4, 2-6, 1-6 to eventual runner-up JJ Wolf in the first round.
The Italian’s success has mostly come at the Challenger level, where he has won four titles. 2025 was a great year for him, as he won three of his four Challenger titles. In one of the title wins, he won against Valentin Vacherot in the final, who is currently in the Top 30, after his historic victorious run at last year’s Shanghai Masters.
Maestrelli’s Challenger results show that he is more proficient while playing on clay, as three of his titles have come on the surface. His only hard-court title coming at the Trofeo Faip-Perrel late last year, where he beat Marko Topo in the final.
Francesco Maestrelli’s Coach and Family
Maestrelli is currently coached by Gabrio Castrichella, who was a tennis player himself. He did not have any professional singles titles to his name, but did win a doubles title on the Challenger Tour in 1997.
As far as family is concerned, Maestrelli’s parents are Andrea and Fulvia, and he has a sister named Valentina. The Italian has a close relationship with his family, especially his sister, who inspired him to take up the sport at a young age, so that he could beat his sibling in a tennis match.
Maestrelli has been in a relationship with Elenora Cedeno for quite some time now. Cedeno is a regular presence during her partner’s matches, cheering him on. When the Italian won the Challenger title last year, his girlfriend was there, and the couple shared a picture after Maestrelli had won the trophy.
Francesco Maestrelli’s Australian Open Campaign So Far
Mastrelli did not have a great start to the season, as he lost 3-6, 0-6 against Zhu Yi in the first round of qualifying at the Hong Kong Open. Coming into Melbourne, the Italian started his qualifying journey with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win over fellow Italian Lorenzo Giustino.
He then won 7-6 (2), 6-4 against Thiago Seyboth Wild and finally secured his maiden direct entry into a Slam with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Dušan Lajović in the final round of qualifying.
Maestrelli made his Grand Slam debut against Terence Atmane in the first round at the Australian Open. The Italian began well, taking the first set, but his French opponent took the next two sets and looked like an early exit for the Italian. However, he raised his level and won 12 of the last 14 games, to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1 and set up a second-round clash against Novak Djokovic.
