Frenchman Arthur Gea defeated Stefano Napolitano in straight sets 6–3, 6–4 to secure a place in the semifinals of the ATP Challenger 100 Kigali in a match played on Friday at IPRC Kigali Ecology Tennis Club.
The 20-year-old delivered a confident performance throughout the encounter, controlling the pace of the game and showing strong consistency from the baseline. He broke Napolitano early in the first set and maintained the advantage to close it 6–3.
In the second set, Napolitano attempted to respond and kept the score tight in the opening games, but Gea remained composed under pressure. A crucial break in the middle of the set allowed the second seed to take control before sealing the match 6–4 to advance to the last four.
The victory marks an important moment for Gea, who had been eliminated by Napolitano from the ATP Challenger 75 Kigali quarterfinals in Kigali last week, making Friday’s win a form of revenge for the Frenchman.
"It feels good for sure, it’s a great revenge for me. In the first week I was a bit sick, it was really tough and he was playing very well, so managing to win this match is amazing,” Gea told Times Sport.
Gea will now face Marco Cecchinato in the semifinals. The Italian advanced after beating Andrej Martin 7–6(7), 6–3.
In another quarterfinal match, top seed Marco Trungelliti fought hard to defeat Max Houkes, the Rwanda Open 2025 champion, in a three-set battle, winning 6–7(6), 7–6(5), 6–3.
Trungelliti, a former Challenger champion in Kigali in 2024, was on the brink of elimination until Houkes began to struggle physically in the second set. Medical staff attended to his leg, which appeared to be causing him pain, giving Trungelliti the opportunity to take control and win the decisive set 6–3.
The Argentine will now face Zdenek Kolar in the semifinals after the Czech defeated Andrej Martin 7–6(8), 7–6(1) to book his place in the last four.
Semifinal order of play (Center Court)
Marco Cecchinato vs Arthur Gea — 10:30 am
Followed by: Marco Trungellitti vs Zdenek Kolar