Girlfriend of Alex de Minaur's next opponent divided as Aussie detail comes to light
Matteo Arnaldi's girlfriend is set to have her loyalties tested in the second round of the Australian Open.
The loyalties of Matteo Arnaldi's Aussie girlfriend will once again be divided when the Italian clashes with Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Australian Open. De Minaur's win over Milos Raonic on Monday night set up a mouth-watering clash with Arnaldi in the second round, with the Aussie out for revenge after Italy's victory in the Davis Cup final late last year.
Arnaldi beat Alexei Popyrin in the final in December, as Italy claimed the Davis Cup trophy and denied Australia in the decider for the second year in a row. As was the case in December, Arnaldi's girlfriend Mia Savio will have her loyalties tested when he takes on de Minaur at Melbourne Park.
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Savio was born in Australia and resides in Melbourne, while her father is Italian. She met Arnaldi while attending school at the university for foreigners in Perugia, Italy.
"(Mia) is learning Italian to speak with my family and she knew some basics from when she was young," Arnaldi said last month. He spent the Christmas break in Melbourne with Mia and her family, which gave him somewhat of a head-start in preparing for the Australian Open before he headed to the Brisbane International.
“My girlfriend is from Melbourne, so it’s good for me to stay here in the hot weather and practice,” he said. “(Plus) this year, it feels like home for me. I’m very much looking forward to it. My girlfriend told me that Brisbane is really nice for the beaches.”
Mia previously said about Australia and Italy clashing in the Davis Cup final: "It was crazy to see the final between the two countries. But it was great to watch Matteo represent his country and dad's country."
Alex de Minaur wants revenge over Italy over Davis Cup heartbreak
De Minaur, who lost to Jannik Sinner in the Davis Cup final, is keen to exact some revenge on Arnaldi and Italy. "It's no secret Davis Cup is a huge priority for me," he said on Monday night. "It's been shattering the last couple of years just to get so close to the holy grail and just barely miss out.
"I do associate Matteo as the guy that beat us in the Davis Cup final, so I'll do my best to hopefully get some revenge. He's a quality opponent, but I'll be ready for it."
Arnaldi got past another Aussie in wildcard Adam Walton in the first round. The Italian won 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-4 on Sunday to book his ticket into the second round, giving him three full days of rest before he battles de Minaur.
Because the first round is spaced out over three days this year, the new scheduling has sparked some bizarre quirks. Arnaldi has about 29 hours more than de Minaur to rest and recover given the Aussie was made to wait until Monday night to play.
Not that it matters to de Minaur. "I have no idea about my draw. I don't look at it, I don't like it, I think it's a way of getting ahead of yourself," he said.
"There's no moment like the present, so the only thing I'm really focused on is my next round opponent, which is obviously Arnaldi. He's a quality Italian player with a lot of fire power and he's started the year really well. I'm going to be ready for that battle and whatever happens, happens after that."
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