Emilio Nava of the USA holds a ranking of 116 and enters the Cagliari first-round match on clay as the favorite at 1.58 decimal odds. The American's recent form has been inconsistent, with two losses in his last five matches against top-tier competition including Arthur Fils and Benjamin Shelton, though he did secure wins over Jaume Brooksby and Valentin Vacherot. Nava trails 0–1 in his head-to-head record against Dzumhur and will need to find consistency on clay to progress in this tournament.

Damir Dzumhur, ranked 84 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, comes into this Cagliari first-round clash as an underdog at 2.50 decimal odds but holds the advantage in their head-to-head matchup at 1–0. The Bosnian has struggled recently, losing four of his last five matches, including defeats to Tallon Griekspoor, Valentin Sachko, and Felix Marozsan, though he did pick up a straight-set victory over Matteo Bellucci. Dzumhur will look to capitalize on his previous success against Nava and stabilize his form on the clay court.