Tuesday’s action at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia features the close of the opening round and the start of the second as the likes of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic get going in Rome. Four other Top 10 seeds are also on the Day 3 slate: Andrey Rublev and Cameron Norrie on Grand Stand Arena, and Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime on Pietrangeli.

Four first-round doubles matches are also on tap, including the tournament opener for third seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[10] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. Pedro Martinez (ESP)

Home favourite Sinner seeks to improve upon his 4-3 record in Rome, where he is bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. The 20-year-old San Candido native reached that stage in Monte Carlo before a third-round loss in Madrid last week. The five-time tour-level champ is seeking his first trophy of the 2022 season.

Pedro Martinez won the Santiago clay-court title in February and enters Rome at a career-high of No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But he has come up against a string of tough opponents on the European clay swing, posting a 1-3 record dating back to Monte Carlo with losses to Hubert Hurkacz, Ilya Ivashka and Alex de Minaur. It won’t get any easier for the Spaniard in his first meeting with Sinner, who will have the full backing of the Italian crowd on Centre Court.

[1] Novak Djokovic (SER) vs. Aslan Karatsev

Djokovic gets an immediate chance to bounce back from his Madrid third-set tie-break loss to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. The Serbian split two ATP Head2Head meetings with Aslan Karatsev in 2021, winning their Australian Open semi-final but losing in his home city of Belgrade at the same stage.

While the World No. 1 enters the tournament in fine form — though not at his very best, he says — Karatsev has endured a difficult stretch after winning the Sydney title in January. The 28-year-old is 3-9 following the Australian swing, with his last win coming at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March before his first-round win over Lloyd Harris, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7).

Djokovic is 6-2 across his past two events in Belgrade and Madrid as he continues to grow in confidence.

“I think it’s closer to [my] desired level every week,” he said. “Madrid, even though I lost in the semi-finals, I still think I played really good tennis. I felt physically 100 per cent, even after an almost three-and-a-half-hour battle against Alcaraz. I recovered well the next day, was ready to go. That’s a positive and encouraging factor prior to Rome and also, of course, the big goal, which is Paris.

“I think I’m in the right direction. I know I can always play better, and I know that I’m very self-critical on the court. At the same time, realistically looking, I think the tennis, quality of tennis, level of tennis, is really high now.”

A five-time champion in Rome, Djokovic is defending 600 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points from his run to the final last year, when he lost to 10-time champ Rafael Nadal in three sets. The Serbian needs to reach the semi-finals to maintain his status as World No. 1. If he does advance to the semi-final stage, he will play for his 1,000th career win — potentially against Nadal.

[5] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. Botic van de Zandschulp (NED)

Ruud will be out for revenge in this rematch of the Munich quarter-finals last month. Botic van de Zandschulp won that matchup, 7-5, 6-1, en route to his first ATP Tour final. The Dutchman backed that up with a three-set win over home favourite Pablo Carreno Busta in Madrid before bowing out against David Goffin.

Ruud reached consecutive quarter-finals in Barcelona and Munich, falling to Carreno Busta in Spain before dropping his second meeting with van de Zandschulp. The pair also met in the second round of the 2021 US Open, where the Dutchman enjoyed a breakout run to the quarter-finals.

In his last Rome appearance in 2020, Ruud knocked out Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Karen Khachanov before losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Van de Zandschulp is making his debut in the Italian capital and got off the mark with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Sebastian Korda on Monday.

Best Of The Rest

Diego Schwartzman, seeded 12th, will contest the third men’s match on Centre Court against Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round. On Grand Stand Arena, sixth seed Rublev faces Filip Krajinovic while ninth seed Norrie faces Italian wild card Luca Nardi. Grigor Dimitrov will open play on Rome’s second stadium against American qualifier Brandon Nakashima.

On Pietrangeli, three men’s matches will wrap up play following two WTA Tour contests. None of the six men in action will be particularly happy with their difficult draws here: Hubert Hurkacz faces David Goffin in the first round before Auger-Alaissime takes on Monte Carlo finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second. The Ruud vs. Van de Zandschulp match serves as the nightcap.

In doubles action, Mektic and Pavic take on Lukasz Kubot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, while fourth seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek face Andrey Golubev and Maximo Gonzalez. A pair of Italian wild-card duos will also square off as Nardi and Lorenzo Sonego take on Flavio Cobolli and Francesco Forti, all on Court 4.

The 6-foot-10 John Isner and the 5-foot-7 Diego Schwartzman may seem like an odd couple on the doubles court, but they used their contrasting skillsets to great effect on Monday to earn a doubles victory at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The first-time pairing scored a 5-7, 6-3, 10-1 win over Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni to open with a win in Rome. After dropping an opening set that featured five breaks of serve, Isner and Schwartzman dominated set two and the Match Tie-break to advance.

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Isner is seeking his third ATP Masters 1000 doubles title this season after winning the Sunshine Double with Jack Sock in Indian Wells and Hubert Hurkacz in Miami. The American also advanced to the Madrid semi-finals last week with Hurkacz before falling to eventual champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski.

Schwartzman is now 3-3 on the year in doubles action, including wins in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo.

That match was one of five doubles contests decided in a Match Tie-break on a busy Monday in Rome. Among the other winners were Thanasi Kokkinakis and Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov and Hurkacz, and eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies of Germany.

Dominic Thiem produced some of his best tennis since his return to the ATP Tour from injury, but it was not enough to overcome home favourite Fabio Fognini at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Monday.

Fognini delighted the Rome Center Court crowd by gutting out a 6-4, 7-6(5) win over the Austrian, who was seeking his first victory since reaching the third round at the same event one year ago. The Italian improves to 2-3 in his ATP Head2Head against Thiem, and earns his first win in the Italian capital since 2019.

“Of course I’m happy because I won,” Fognini said after his 398th career tour-level victory. “It’s never easy playing against a great champion. Happy to be here and another chance to play in this great atmosphere.”

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The World No. 57 served for the win and held a match point at 5-4 in the second before Thiem broke for the first time on his seventh break point of the evening. Finding more purchase off both wings and firing a fearless forehand return winner to stave off that match point, the Austrian continued his momentum with a love hold before Fognini did the same to force a tie-break.

After dropping the first point of the tie-break, Fognini never trailed again — though he twice lost a mini-break advantage before holding his nerve from 5/5. He moves forward in his bid to better his career-best run to the 2018 quarter-finals at the venue.

“It’s always difficult, especially because now I’m 35,” said Fognini, who will reach that age on 24 May. “Physically, I’m quite OK. I feel good when I run. Of course I need to do some things on my game, try to push the ball harder because conditions are really slow. But these kinds of conditions are tough for everybody.”

Fognini dominated the Conversion & Steal metrics against Thiem, winning 81 per cent of points in which he gained at attacking advantage while stealing 37 per cent of points from defence.

An all-Italian second-round showdown could now be on the cards if 10th seed Jannik Sinner can beat Pedro Martinez on Tuesday.

“For sure he’s our future star that on the ATP Tour. Let’s see how he plays tomorrow,” Fognini said. “My first goal is to try to recover well because of course I need it now.”

Thiem drops to 0-4 on the ATP Tour in his return from a right-wrist injury which kept him out of action for nine months.

“I’m really frustrated right now, obviously,” he said post-match. “Things have improved again since Madrid. That’s good. I looked at the stats after the first set on the big screen. Actually they are getting better and better. The first-serve percentage, first-serve wins, second-serve wins actually had better stats in the first set. Just zero out of three break points. I have to play better those close points.

“That’s what I did at 4-5 in the second when I came back. Then at 6-5 he played a great game with four first serves. I was hoping to break him there and get things going even better for me.

“The tie-break was not good for me. Obviously in the tie-break you get a little bit tighter. That’s where the forehand is still not there when things are getting tighter. That’s the way it is now.”

No. 6 Carlos Alcaraz +3, (Career High)
The Spaniard has jumped three spots to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after he captured his second ATP Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 19-year-old eliminated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev en route to the trophy, becoming the first player since David Nalbandian in Madrid in 2007 to defeat three top four stars at a Masters 1000 event. Read Madrid Final Report & Watch Highlights

Alcaraz, who now holds a 5-0 record in ATP Tour finals, is the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles, after triumphing in Miami in March. Nadal clinched crowns in Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005 when he was 18.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 12 Hubert Hurkacz, +2
The 25-year-old has climbed two places after reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid. The Pole held just a 1-4 record on clay in 2021, but is 6-2 on the surface this season. Hurkacz earned wins over Hugo Dellien, Monte Carlo finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Dusan Lajovic in the Spanish capital before losing to Novak Djokovic.

No. 48 David Goffin, +12
The Belgian has soared back into the Top 50 thanks to a run to the third round in Madrid. Goffin, who triumphed in Marrakech in April, battled through qualifying before he earned main-draw wins over Aslan Karatsev and Botic van de Zandschulp.

No. 51 Lorenzo Musetti, +12 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Italian Musetti continued his strong clay-court form with a run to the third round at the fourth Masters 1000 event of the season. The 20-year-old, who is 8-4 on the surface this year, defeated Ilya Ivashka and Sebastian Korda on debut in Madrid.

No. 69 Andy Murray, +9
The 34-year-old continues to climb the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after a good showing in Madrid. The former World No. 1 earned impressive victories over Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov to set up a blockbuster meeting with Djokovic. However, Murray was forced to withdraw ahead of the match due to illness.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 37, Sebastian Baez +3 (Career High)
No. 38, Jenson Brooksby +4
No. 60, Benjamin Bonzi +10
No. 64, Dusan Lajovic +13
No. 79, Jiri Lehecka +9 (Career High)

Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas enter the Internazionali BNL d’Italia after semi-final losses in Madrid, but both men are feeling good about their games in Rome. Both have also fallen victim to the red-hot Carlos Alcaraz in recent weeks, Djokovic in Madrid and Tsitsipas in Miami and Barcelona.

With the young Spaniard the talk of tennis following his second ATP Masters 1000 win at the Mutua Madrid Open Sunday, the World No. 1 and No. 5 were asked for their perspectives on his rapid rise during their Monday press conferences. Alcaraz is up to a career-high of No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, just behind Tsitsipas.

“He definitely is special,” Djokovic said, answering the first question of his presser. “Already he’s breaking a lot of records as a teenager, winning two Masters events this year, a couple of 500s. So far he’s the best player in the world, no question, this year with the results that he’s been doing.”

Tsitsipas made similar comments, revealing that he looks up to the Spanish star nearly four-and-a-half years his junior.

“His tennis is very impressive,” said the 23-year-old. “I think he puts a lot of energy into every single shot. He is quick. He has a good reaction time. He reads the game well. He inspires me a lot. I really want to be like him. I look up to him.

“I know he’s at a young, early stage of his career. I can see him becoming big in a very short time. I’d really like to get to the level he is right now. I think he’s one of the best players in the world, to be honest. He has proved it with consistent results, thriving in the biggest tournaments. There is nothing you can take away from that.”

Both Djokovic and Tsitsipas also commented on Alcaraz’s fearless mentality as he ascends to the top of the game.

“The way he was dealing with the pressure… In our match few days ago, how calm he was all the way till the [end] was impressive,” said Djokovic, who called the Spaniard “one of the main favourites” at Roland Garros. “He deserved to win the trophy. Everything about his game is really impressive. He’s a really complete player, can play equally well offensively and defensively. He’s the talk of the sport.”

Added Tsitsipas: “He plays very fresh and hungry, like has nothing to lose. It kind of reminds me of my early days when I was introduced to the ATP Tour. I didn’t really know what to expect along the way. I was just playing carelessly, completely free-spirited. It’s a nice thing to see.

“But with him in most of the draws, the lineup is getting even tougher. I will for sure have to work harder to get the results that I ever wanted.”

Djokovic will also be working hard to make sure he can level his ATP Head2Head against Alcaraz in their next meeting. After two strong weeks, reaching the Belgrade final and the Madrid semis in succession, the Serbian is edging closer to top form as he seeks a sixth title in Rome.

“I think it’s closer to [my] desired level every week,” he explained. “Madrid, even though I lost in the semi-finals, I still think I played really good tennis. Felt physically 100 per cent, even after an almost three-and-a-half-hour battle against Alcaraz. I recovered well the next day, was ready to go. That’s a positive and encouraging factor prior to Rome and also, of course, the big goal, which is Paris.

“I think I’m in the right direction. I know I can always play better, and I know that I’m very self-critical on the court. At the same time, realistically looking, I think the tennis, quality of tennis, level of tennis, is really high now. Hopefully I can maintain that level throughout this week and build, go deep in this tournament hopefully — that’s the goal — and come to Paris well-prepared.”

Fifteen months on from his last victory on the ATP Tour, Stan Wawrinka was delighted to rediscover the winning feeling at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome on Monday.

The former World No. 3 trailed 14th seed Reilly Opelka by a set and 2-4 in the first round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the Italian capital, but Wawrinka battled hard to turn things around and complete a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory, his first tour-level win since the 2021 Australian Open.

“I think in general I was feeling good on the court,” said Wawrinka after booking a second-round meeting with Laslo Djere. “Physically I was feeling great. For sure when you don’t win a match in more than a year, you start to think about it more than you should and not focus on the right things.

“In general I think it was a great match, great battle. I stayed positive. I started to feel much better with my tennis by the end of the second set, and [in] the third set. I’m really happy with this victory.”

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Wawrinka’s return game was key to securing a maiden win over Opelka, with the 2014 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion maintaining belief even when he was a break down to the big-serving American in the second set.

“You just have to stay positive and try to fight,” said Wawrinka on his approach to returning the Opelka delivery. “If you get a bit lucky, if you show him that you’re going to stay there, you are going to get some chances. I got some chances, I played better, and he started to miss a few.”

The never-say-die approach that took Wawrinka past Opelka on Monday is one that has helped the Swiss deal with his frustrations while recovering from a foot injury over the past year. He hopes the Opelka win is just the first of many rewards for the months of hard work he has put in off the court.

“After two surgeries, at my age I could easily have stopped playing because my career is way better than what I expected when I was young,” said Wawrinka. “But I still have this fire in me. I still believe that I can play great tennis. I still believe that I make some big results, maybe not now, but in a few months.

“There is no shortcut. I needed to do that time on the court and off the court. It was a long time I was out. I gained some weight, it was tough. With foot surgery you can’t do much. I needed a lot of effort to be back, but already in the last few weeks since [Monte Carlo] it is much better.”

Wawrinka returned to competitive action in March at the same ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella as another former World No. 3, Dominic Thiem. The Austrian had not played since June due to a wrist problem and has lost his first three tour-level matches back, but Wawrinka believes the 2019 Indian Wells champion will also soon be back to winning ways.

“[Thiem and I] practised quite a lot [in Marbella],” said Wawrinka. “I always enjoy practising with him, he’s an amazing player. But I think every injury is completely different. We all have a different mindset to come back.

“The reality is that it takes time. You need to accept it. You need to do the right work. He is a hard-working player. He will come back for sure. But it takes time.

“It’s not only about the fitness side. It’s not only about the tennis game. It’s also about the mental part. You have to connect everything together to be able to play your best tennis again.”

Rafael Nadal’s stellar start to the 2022 season may have been disrupted by a rib injury, but the Spaniard’s six-week layoff has done nothing to dampen his competitive spirit.

“I like what I do, honestly,” said the 35-year-old as he prepares to compete at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome. “I am not playing anymore for things outside of my happiness and for things outside of my personal motivation.

“I am happy doing what I am doing. I still feel [I am] competitive when I am healthy enough.”

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Nadal returned to the ATP Tour for the first time since March at the Mutua Madrid Open last week, reaching the quarter-finals before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. He acknowledged being unable to compete after picking up his rib injury en route to the final in Indian Wells had been tough, especially after winning his first 20 matches of the year to register his best start to a season. Yet the desire to compete still burns brightly in the legendary Spaniard.

“Of course, at my age, when you start having more problems than what you can manage, of course it is tough,” said Nadal. “Body issues, pains, you can manage that. The problem is when you start to feel that with all the things that’s going through your body, you can’t be competitive enough to fight for the things that really keep exciting you.

“For the moment I am happy. It is true that I went through, again, a tough period of time. But I am here to enjoy and to give myself a chance to play well here in Rome.”

Nadal faces John Isner or Francisco Cerundolo in his opening match at the Foro Italico, where he is the defending champion after outlasting Novak Djokovic in the championship match to clinch a record-extending 10th title at the event in 2021. He believes his week in Madrid, which included victories over Miomir Kecmanovic and David Goffin before a thrilling three-set defeat to Alcaraz, gives him a better chance to make it 11 titles in the Italian capital.

“I need to keep improving…[But] it’s normal that I need some more time in terms of everything,” said Nadal. “In terms of movement, in terms of being more fitter, in terms of reading again the game. In general terms, [it was] not a negative week in Madrid, even if the tournament is probably the most difficult for me, [with] the altitude.

“[I am] excited to be in Rome. It’s a place that I love so much. [I have] amazing memories. I’ll try my best, as I do always. I hope to be ready to play a little bit better than last week. Let’s see.”

The 36-time Masters 1000 champion has enjoyed watching the rapid rise of his countryman Alcaraz, despite the disappointment of losing out in the pair’s quarter-final clash in the Spanish capital. For Nadal, the level the 19-year-old showed to charge to a second Masters 1000 title of the year was not unexpected.

“He [Alcaraz] already won in Miami, won in Barcelona. Honestly it is not a big surprise,” said Nadal. “[I am] happy for him. Everybody knows the amount of confidence he has right now, the level that he can reach. [I am] happy for him and happy because we have an amazing player in our country for a lot of years to come.

“It’s always special to win at home. It has probably been a very special week for him…At the same time I am happy to have somebody like him from my country achieving all the things that he’s achieving.”

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka earned his first tour-level win since February 2021 Monday, rallying past American Reilly Opelka 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the second round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

The Swiss star was competing in just his second ATP Tour match in 14 months but showcased quality and grit throughout, hammering forehands and blasting his trademark backhand with precision to advance after two hours and five minutes.

The 37-year-old looked down and out when he trailed the big-serving American 2-4 in the second set. However, he started to consistently find Opelka’s feet on return and began to close the net more effectively to turn the match around in front of a lively crowd and level his ATP Head2Head series with the World No. 17 at 1-1.

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Wawrinka will next face Laslo Djere or Borna Coric as he looks to work his way back to full fitness after being sidelined since March 2021 with a foot injury. The 16-time tour-level titlist made his ATP Tour return against Alexander Bublik in Monte Carlo in April.

Before his victory over Opelka, Wawrinka had not earned a match win since he defeated Pedro Sousa at the 2021 Australian Open.

Opelka, who reached the semi-finals in Rome last year, captured his first clay-court title in Houston last month.