Mariano Navone enters the Cagliari eighth-finals as the higher-ranked player at World No. 45, holding Pinnacle odds of 1.70 as favourite. The Argentine clay-court specialist has shown mixed form recently, with two losses to top-tier opposition (Zverev and Rublev) offset by three consecutive wins including a victory over Van De Zandschulp. However, the head-to-head record presents a significant concern: Navone trails Berrettini 0–2 in their previous meetings, suggesting tactical difficulties against his Italian opponent on this surface.

Matteo Berrettini arrives at Cagliari ranked World No. 92 and priced at 2.02 as the underdog despite his 2–0 head-to-head advantage over Navone. The Italian's recent form has been inconsistent, with two wins (against Kypson and Medvedev) interspersed between three losses to Prizmic, Fonseca, and Buse, indicating he may lack rhythm heading into this clay-court matchup. Berrettini's previous success against Navone suggests he has identified effective patterns, though his current ranking and form trajectory raise questions about his ability to replicate that performance at eighth-final level.