With tennis moving over to clay courts, one ATP youngster has already made waves with his performances on the surface.
Three champions have been crowned on the ATP Tour just one week into the clay court season.
America’s Jenson Brooksby won his first tour-level title in Houston, taking down Frances Tiafoe, 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
In Morocco, Luciano Darderi clinched his second career title with a tight two-set win over Tallon Griekspoor, 7-6, 7-6.
It was arguably another Italian youngster, however, that impressed the most, with one former American star predicting big things for the 22-year-old.
Jack Sock thinks ‘very good’ Flavio Cobolli will be ‘off to the races’ after winning first title in Bucharest
Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Jack Sock shared his thoughts on the 2025 Romanian Open champion.
“He [Flavio Cobolli] is already top 40 in the world and has just won a tournament, I think that is only going to help him for the rest of the year or the rest of the clay court season,” he said.
“I think the confidence that he needed from one awesome week like that and probably off to the races now, would be my guess, the guy is very good.”
Cobolli won the first title of his career in Bucharest, dropping just one set on his way to victory.
- 2025 Romanian Open F – Flavio Cobolli beat Sebastian Baez, 6-4, 6-4
- 2025 Romanian Open SF – Flavio Cobolli beat Damir Dzumhur, 6-3, 6-0
- 2025 Romanian Open QF – Flavio Cobolli beat Filip Misolic, 7-6, 6-4
- 2025 Romanian Open 2R – Flavio Cobolli beat Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
The American then revealed what he thought about Cobolli when he watched him play in 2024.
“I remember watching this guy last year somewhere and before [Joao] Fonseca I thought this guy was the next guy,” he said.
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey disagreed with Sock’s Cobolli assessment but admitted he would be gladly proven wrong.
“I think he is really good but I am not going to give him the off to the races,” said Querrey.
“I think he will win some matches in Madrid, Rome, and Monte-Carlo and hover around 40 [in the world].
“I like him though, I hope he proves me wrong.”
Flavio Cobolli snapped shocking seven-match losing streak in Romania before winning title
Before traveling to Romania, Cobolli had struggled for form, losing seven consecutive matches on the ATP Tour.
| Tournament | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2025 Romanian Open | F | Sebastian Baez | Win | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2025 Romanian Open | SF | Damir Dzumhur | Win | 6-3, 6-0 |
| 2025 Romanian Open | QF | Filip Misolic | Win | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2025 Romanian Open | 2R | Richard Gasquet | Win | 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 |
| 2025 Miami Open | 1R | Thiago Tirante | Loss | 1-6, 6-3, 3-6 |
| 2025 Indian Wells | 1R | Colton Smith | Loss | 6-3, 2-6, 2-6 |
| 2025 Mexican Open | 1R | Ben Shelton | Loss | 6-7, 6-7 |
| 2025 Rotterdam Open | 1R | Hubert Hurkacz | Loss | 3-6, 2-6 |
| 2025 Open Occitanie | 1R | Jesper De Jong | Loss | 3-6, 6-7 |
| 2025 Australian Open | 1R | Tomas Martin Etcheverry | Loss | 7-6, 3-6, 5-7, 1-6 |
| 2025 ASB Classic | 1R | Luca Nardi | Loss | 2-6, 1-1 (RET) |
The 22-year-old picked up two wins at the United Cup to kick off the year but then embarked on a seven-match winless run.
Cobolli’s title in Bucharest came at the perfect time, as the Italian can now approach the remainder of the European clay season with confidence.
The world number 35 is currently scheduled to take part in four ATP tournaments before the French Open.
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters
- 2025 Munich Open
- 2025 Madrid Open
- 2025 Italian Open
Cobolli will begin his campaign in the principality with a tough test in the first round against 2019 finalist Dusan Lajovic.
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