Argentine tennis player Francisco Comesana found himself in hot water after he was spotted lighting a cigarette during his qualifying match in the 2025 Miami Open against Michael Mmoh.
The incident happened after he won the opening set of the match. Upon retiring to his seat, he took a quick drag in the middle of the match. He even asked the chair umpire for a lighter. Speaking to the official, Comesana asked: “Excuse me, do you have a light.” However, the official remained unfazed at the request.
The bizarre move worked in his favour as he beat his opponent in straight sets, securing a 6-3, 6-4 victory. The win saw him progress further in the qualifiers of the Masters 1000 event, where he beat Shintaro Mochizuki of Japan in the second round, scripting a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 victory that saw him make the main draw. However, he lost to Italian Federico Cina in the round of 128 clash, suffering a 6-7(4), 6-7(2) defeat.
Following the win for Cina, the 17-year-old became the youngest from his country to win an ATP tour game since Jannik Sinner in 2019. After the win, he said: “I’m very happy. It was very difficult. But I’m very happy to win. I started the match very good, played a very good tie-break. Then in the second set, I was [ahead] 5-2, then I got cramps. But it was very good to stay there every point.”
Cina hails from a rich tennis background. His father, Francesco, was the former coach of Italian tennis star Roberta Vinci and currently runs a tennis academy in Palermo. Speaking of his son, Francesco said: “Federico really likes this life and doesn’t feel the pressure at the moment; he enjoys doing what he loves.
“Federico feels better on clay and hard courts, but overall he prefers to play on hard court. He needs to improve his serve, and this will happen with physical growth. During preparation, we worked well on this fundamental, and I am sure that in the coming months he will be able to serve even better. His forehand is showing great improvements, while his two-handed backhand remains his best shot.”
