Rain in Rome has interrupted Saturday’s second-round matches at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where play is provisionally suspended until further notice at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000.

After the start of the day’s play was initially postponed by 30 minutes until 11:30 am local time (CEST), Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev and Alex Molcan played just one game in the opening match of the day on Court Pietrangeli before the rain returned and play was suspended again.

Play is provisionally suspended until further notice.

We are actively monitoring weather conditions and we’ll keep you posted on any schedule change here.

— Internazionali BNL d’Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) May 13, 2023

A host of big names are scheduled to start their campaign at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000, including second seed Carlos Alcaraz. By simply taking the court and making his Rome debut on Saturday against Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the 20-year-old will guarantee himself a return to No. 1 in the next edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Third seed Daniil Medvedev later meets Emil Ruusuvuori on Court Pietrangeli, where 2017 champion Alexander Zverev also clashes with David Goffin. On Grand Stand Arena, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas meets Rome debutant Nuno Borges.

Former Australian doubles legend Owen Davidson – who in 1967 completed the mixed doubles Grand Slam – has passed away, aged 79.

Below is a summary of his career courtesy of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2010. At full tribute will follow later this weekend.

When Owen Davidson stepped onto a doubles court, particularly with Billie Jean King in mixed, the message was abundantly clear: You’ll have to play your best game – and then some – to come away victorious.

A champion of 11 major mixed doubles titles, eight with King, Davidson was only the third player in history to win a calendar year Grand Slam in mixed doubles. Overall, Davidson won four mixed doubles majors at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships. His four Wimbledon triumphs are the most mixed doubles crowns at the All England Club for a male player.

After all the basketball, it was so great to visit with one of our dearest friends and my mixed doubles partner, Owen Davidson.

Owen Davidson and I won 8 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles, 4 of them at #Wimbledon (1967, 1971, 1973, 1974). pic.twitter.com/eGOYROxYBf

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) April 5, 2023

In 1967, he dominated mixed doubles, first teaming with Aussie Lesley Turner to win the Australian Championships and then collaborating with King to sweep through the French, Wimbledon, and U.S. Championships. In their 8 mixed doubles championships from 1967 to 1974, the pair virtually ran the table, losing only the middle set of the 1973 U.S. Championships final against Margaret Court and Marty Riessen. The pairing of Davidson and King produced flawless doubles and won one French, four Wimbledon titles, and three U.S. titles. Davidson was the King of the Volley, and Billie Jean was a top five all-time female player. The 6-foot-1 Davidson presented a huge obstacle at net – his arm span and volleying acumen both delicate and forceful – and swift reflexes were as polished as any player in history. The duo left precious little space uncovered and were constantly on the attack. They were methodical and business-like on court and produced nearly perfect tennis chemistry. They lost only one major final opportunity, the 1968 French Championships to hometown favorites Françoise Dürr and Jean-Claude Barclay who ratcheted their game a complete notch at Roland Garros, winning 6-1, 6-4.

Before Davidson teamed with King at the French in 1967, he had already won three mixed doubles crowns, sharing the Australian in 1965 with his partner Robyn Ebbern and with Court and John Newcombe in a final that wasn’t played; the U.S. Championships in 1966 with Donna Floyd Fales over Carol Hanks Aucamp and Ed Rubinoff, 6-1, 6-3, and the 1967 Australian with Turner over fellow natives Judy Tegart Dalton and Tony Roche, 9-7, 6-4. Davidson and King’s three Grand Slam victories in 1967 were the most impressive of a 7-year partnership. At the French, they defeated Ann Haydon Jones and Ion Ţiriac 6-3, 6-1; Wimbledon was a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over Maria Bueno and Ken Fletcher 7-5, 6-2 and the U.S. Championships was an impressive 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Rosie Casals and Stan Smith.

Known as “Davo,” Davidson was a men’s doubles champion twice. He partnered with Ken Rosewall to nab the 1972 Australian Open over compatriots Ross Case and Geoff Masters, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3. Davidson’s last two major finals were at the 1972 and 1973 U.S. Championships where the results were split. In 1972, he and Newcombe lost to Cliff Drysdale and Roger Taylor, 4-6, 6-7, 3-6. In 1973, he and Newcombe had a sensational victory over Rod Laver and Rosewall, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.

In singles play, Davidson advanced to the Australian Championship quarterfinals five times (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967), the Wimbledon semifinals in 1966, and the U.S. Championships quarterfinals twice (1966, 1967).

Davidson, who coached the British Davis Cup team from 1967 to 1970, was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.

Top 5 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas headline the Saturday action at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, with all three set to begin their campaigns at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Second-round singles play will be complete by the end of Day 4 in the Rome main draw, with the field to be narrowed to 32.

Medvedev will be in action on Court Pietrangeli, where Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev will also compete. Three Italians join Alcaraz on the centre court slate, with Lorenzo Sonego meeting 25th seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the afternoon before countrymen Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Arnaldi square off to cap the evening session.

ATPTour.com looks ahead to some of the biggest matches across the men’s singles draw and men’s doubles draw on the Saturday schedule.

[2] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)

By simply taking the court and making his Rome debut, Carlos Alcaraz will guarantee himself a return to No. 1 in the next edition Peppersone ATP Rankings. But the Spaniard no doubt has his sights set on a third straight ATP Tour title after completing a second consecutive Spanish double across Barcelona and Madrid.

A title run for Alcaraz in his Rome debut could go through top seed Novak Djokovic in the final. While that potential matchup would be a fitting conclusion at the first event in 2023 in which both players are competing, Alcaraz will first turn his attention to countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Saturday.

Alcaraz owns a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against his fellow Spaniard, including his very first ATP Tour win, earned in a third-set tie-break in Rio de Janeiro in 2020.

“It was a really good match for me, my first ATP win against him,” recalled the 20-year-old. “But that was a long time ago. After that I played [him] a few times more. It was really tough. I would say it’s a good first round for me. I have to play well to get through. Let’s see. I’m going to enjoy my first match here. Obviously here it’s such a nice place to be, to play, to enjoy the Italian fans. It’s always great to play in front [of them]. I’m going to enjoy that moment.”

Ramos-Vinolas came back from a set down to knock out Italian Francesco Passaro in the Rome opening round and will hope to carry that momentum into his showdown against Alcaraz.

[3] Daniil Medvedev vs. Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN)

Emil Ruusuvuori nearly knocked out Alcaraz in his previous tournament, leading the Spaniard by a set as he put on a power tennis clinic in Madrid. While he fell just short on that occasion, he will have another opportunity for a big upset in Rome against Medvedev.

Just like in Madrid, the Finn advanced to the second round by beating Ugo Humbert, this time in a third-set tie-break. But that’s where the similarities may end.

The matchup against Medvedev is very different from the one against Alcaraz, who was at home on the red clay of Spain. Medvedev has never made a secret of his struggles on the dirt, though he compiled a 4-2 record across Monte-Carlo and Madrid as he continues to work on his clay-court game.

Medvedev said that he feels great physically entering Rome, and he explained some of his efforts to adapt to the clay in recent weeks.

“[Playing with] some more spin,” Medvedev said in his pre-tournament press conference. “Especially the sliding, I think the sliding was always a problem [for me]. After Madrid, after I lost, a couple days I practised there, I tried to focus on the sliding, on the movement. I felt like I improved in these couple of days.”

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Nuno Borges (POR)

While Tsitsipas is still seeking his first title of 2023, he reached the final last month in Barcelona to match his run to the title match at the Australian Open earlier the season. Tsitsipas bookended his Barcelona run with quarter-finals in both Monte-Carlo and Madrid, and will once again be among the favourites at the year’s third clay-court ATP Masters 1000.

After being upset by German lucky loser (and eventual finalist) Jan-Lennard Struff in Madrid, Tsitsipas will be on red alert in Rome against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. The 26-year-old holds a 4-8 record so far in 2023 but beat Dusan Lajovic decisively in the Rome opening round, 6-4, 6-1. 

Tsitsipas is 23-7 on the season, his 23 tour-level victories tied for fifth-most in 2023. But the Greek is the only player with at least 20 wins not to win a title this season. He could rectify that by winning his first Rome title — and ATP Tour title No. 10 — in just more than one week’s time.

Also In Action…

Saturday will be a big day for Italian men’s tennis in Rome. In addition to Sonego vs. Nishioka and Musetti vs. Arnaldi on centre court, home favourite Marco Cecchinato will take on 21st seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the grandstand. Two all-Italian men’s doubles teams will also be in action: Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini face Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler, while wild cards Federico Arnaboldi and Gianmarco Ferrari play seventh seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

Singles sixth seed Rublev opens play on Pietrangeli against Alex Molcan, with 19th seed Zverev set to close play on the show court against David Goffin.

Court 12 will see three American men compete: J.J. Wolf takes on 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz, 12th seed Frances Tiafoe meets German qualifier Daniel Altmaier and ninth seed Taylor Fritz faces another German qualifier in Yannick Hanfmann.

In other doubles action, top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski open their campaign against Matwe Middelkoop and Andreas Mies while second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury take on Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

Third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek had to rally from a set down Friday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to keep their hopes alive for a second ATP Masters 1000 title.

The Croatian-American duo, who won this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, downed Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin 5-7, 6-2, 10-6 after winning 31 of 38 first-serve points during the opening-round encounter. Dodig and Krajicek will next face Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski, whom they beat in the Monte-Carlo first round.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz also needed a Match Tie-break to survive their Rome opener. The German pair ousted Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 in one hour, 22 minutes.

Krawietz and Puetz, who were finalists at last month’s ATP 250 event in Munich, await the winner of Robin Haase and Botic van de Zandschulp and eighth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Great players find a way to win, even on days when they aren’t playing their best.

Such was the case for top seed Novak Djokovic in Friday’s second-round clash against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The Serbian overcame a rough first set – in which he committed 21 unforced errors and appeared physically unwell – to advance 7-6(5), 6-2 at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The 35-year-old played with more margin and forced extended rallies in key moments of the match to move past the 6’5” Argentine. Despite having two set points at 4-5 in the first set, Djokovic was forced to a tie-break, where he won four consecutive points from 3/5 to seal an entertaining 75-minute set.

At 5-5 in the opening set, Djokovic appeared physically unwell as he hunched over in the corner of the court and took a tablet the following changeover. The Belgrade native continued to fight, forcing a break in Etcheverry’s first service game of the second set en route to closing a one-hour, 51-minute test.

Djokovic, who boasts a 65-10 Rome record, has never failed to reach the quarter-finals in 16 appearances in the Italian capital. A six-time Rome champion, Djokovic is aiming for a record-extending 39th Masters 1000 crown. He will next meet Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

Etcheverry, 23, has played his best tennis this season. The Argentine was a finalist at the ATP 250 events in Santiago and Houston. Friday’s contest was his first match against a Top-10 opponent.

In a one-handed backhand clash, Dimitrov defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-6(3) after claiming 35 of 40 first-serve points. The Bulgarian found success by coming forward, having won all 12 of net points to move within one of tying his ATP Head2Head record against Wawrinka at seven a piece.

Dimitrov held a 3-1 lead in the second set before the Swiss fought back to later force a tie-break. The 26th seed Dimitrov won 62 per cent of rallies over four shots to advance.

“I’m just happy I was able to finish in straight sets,” Dimitrov said. “Overall, I felt good. It’s been a while since I’ve played matches like that. Off the blocks to play Stan is never easy. We’ve played so many times against each other, we kind of know what we are going to do in a lot of moments. I think today was a very small margin.”

Despite holding a 1-10 Head2Head record against Djokovic, the World No. 33 Dimitrov is looking forward to having another crack at the 22-time major champion.

“I like those matches,” Dimitrov said. “I’ve been on tour for so long, I feel comfortable to play against these guys. I know I don’t have the best record against him but I like to play against him and any of the top guys to see where I’m at. You never know how it’s going to go at the end of the day. I always like my chances, so you never know how it’s going to go.”

After reaching his first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 final last month in Monte-Carlo and suffering an early exit in Madrid, Holger Rune made a fast start in his debut at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Arthur Fils.

In a battle of #NextGenATP stars, the 20-year-old Rune dominated on return, converting on four of 12 break points in the victory.

“He made it tough. He’s young, younger than me. It feels kind of crazy because I think this is the second time in my life I’m playing someone that’s younger,” said Rune, who improved to 2-1 against younger opponents on the ATP Tour, having split two previous matches against Carlos Alcaraz. “For sure he’s in the right direction and I wish him all the best. He’s a nice guy.”

Rune reached a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of World No. 7 after reaching the Monte-Carlo final and has maintained his position since then, aided by a successful title defence in Munich. With no points to defend in Rome, he could rise as high as No. 4 by winning his second Masters 1000 title after his 2022 Rolex Paris Masters triumph.

Fils, 18, was the youngest player in the Rome draw. After reaching his first ATP Tour semi-final in Montpellier in February and earning his first ATP Masters 1000 win on Wednesday against fellow qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo, the Frenchman was denied his first Top 10 win with defeat to Rune. The Dane’s victory extended his winning streak against French opponents to 13 matches, dating back to 2022.

Rune will next face wild card Fabio Fognini in the third round. The Italian earned 6-3, 7-6(6) upset of 30th seed Miomir Kecmanovic earlier on Friday to back up his three-set win against Andy Murray in the first round.

“It’s going to be wild, for sure,” Rune said of his matchup against the home favourite. “But this is great because this is what tennis is about. You already hear the football match [atmosphere] now and this is great, it’s fun. It brings tennis to another level and I’m super excited for it.”

Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Fourth seed Casper Ruud also advanced on Friday evening with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Arthur Rinderknech. The Norwegian was a perfect four-of-four on his break chances while saving both break points against him.

The victory was Ruud’s 10th in Rome, marking the first time he has reached 10 wins at a single ATP Masters 1000 event. The 24-year-old is a two-time semi-finalist at the Foro Italico (2020, 2022).

Ruud will meet Alexander Bublik in the third round after the Kazakh’s 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory against 28th seed Ben Shelton.

Rinderknech fell to 2-2 against the Top 20 on clay by missing out on his biggest career win against the World No. 4.

When Carlos Alcaraz plays the first point of his match on Saturday against Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the 20-year-old Spaniard will clinch his return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Novak Djokovic arrived in Rome with a five-point lead over Alcaraz. However, Djokovic is the defending champion and will drop 1,000 points on 22 May. Alcaraz is not defending any points, and he will earn 10 by beginning his opening match in the Italian capital. That has already put him atop the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Alcaraz will therefore begin his 23rd week at World No. 1 on 22 May. The Spaniard has a big opportunity to leave Rome with a sizable lead. If the 20-year-old wins the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, he will depart Italy with at least a 1,395-point advantage over Djokovic.

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings (entering Rome)

Djokovic can keep the battle close if he wins his seventh Rome title. The Serbian can finish the tournament with 6,775 points, which would keep him within 595 points of Alcaraz if the Spaniard reaches the final.

The 35-year-old’s grip on World No. 2 is not secure, though. Daniil Medvedev can climb to 6,330 points by winning the title on his least-favourite surface. That would force Djokovic to reach the final to remain World No. 2.

That will be a crucial battle for Roland Garros seeding. Alcaraz is in position to take the first seed in Paris, but the seeds below him are up for grabs.

Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas also have an opportunity to potentially move into the world’s top three by winning the title in Rome, depending on Medvedev’s performance. Neither man can pass Djokovic.

The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic has played out at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this season, with the pair jockeying for World No. 1 throughout 2023. The 20-year-old Alcaraz began the year at the pinnacle of the men’s game and has since traded the top spot with Djokovic, with each man enjoying two separate stints as No. 1. 

Alcaraz will reclaim the honour from the Serbian in the next edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by simply taking the court on Saturday for his Internazionali BNL d’Italia debut against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. But after months of back-and-forth drama, Alcaraz and Djokovic could meet on the court for the first time this year during the Rome ATP Masters 1000.

“Being in the same tournament with Novak is great, having him here and learning from him,” Alcaraz said, after injuries for both men prevented them from being in the same draw previously this season. “It’s always good having the best tennis players in the world in the tournament. It’s great. I hope to meet him in the final.

“I always say that as a tennis fan, I always want to see the best players in the world, to watch them, learn from them, because you have to learn from everyone. It’s great to share the tournament [with him].”

If the top two seeds meet in the Rome final, it would be their second ATP Head2Head meeting. Alcaraz won a thrilling 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) semi-final last year in Madrid on the way to completing a Spanish trophy double across Barcelona and the nation’s capital — a feat he repeated this season.

While the tennis world is eager to see the pair develop a rivalry on the court, Alcaraz said his biggest rival is himself.

“I said before that your biggest rival is yourself. It’s not only for me, it’s for everyone,” he explained. “You have to control yourself, your emotions first, then playing against the opponent.

“You have to choose the correct [tactics and shots] in every moment. That is really tough because we have just seconds before hitting the ball. It’s tough. It’s not just for me, it’s for everyone.”

As Alcaraz looks ahead for his Rome debut, his opening match also brings back memories of the past. The matchup against Ramos-Vinolas is a repeat of his very first ATP Tour match, which he won in a third-set tie-break in Rio de Janeiro in 2020.

“It was a really good match for me, my first ATP win against him,” recalled Alcaraz, who now owns a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against his countryman. “But, yeah, that was a long time ago.

“After that I played [him] a few times more. It was really tough. I would say it’s a good first round for me. I have to play well to get through. Let’s see. I’m going to enjoy my first match here. Obviously here it’s such a nice place to be, to play, to enjoy the Italian fans. It’s always great to play in front [of them]. I’m going to enjoy that moment.”

Cameron Norrie wasted little time kick-starting his Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign on Friday morning in Rome.

The World No. 13 required just 74 minutes to down Alexandre Muller 6-2, 6-3 for a confidence-boosting second-round win at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Norrie entered the match with a modest 2-3 record on the European clay so far this year but the Briton fired 20 winners and converted three of his seven break points to overcome the No. 100-ranked Muller.

The 27-year-old Norrie, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz to lift his fifth ATP tour title in Rio de Janeiro in February, now takes on Marton Fucsovics as he bids for back-to-back main-draw victories in the Italian capital for the first time in four attempts.

Fucsovics will be looking to upset a seeded opponent for the second straight match after he took out 17th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4. Norrie leads the Hungarian 4-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, including two wins on clay.

Also on Friday, Alexei Popyrin completed a hat-trick of Top 10 wins for 2023 after he upset World No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a three-hour, 17-minnute epic on Grand Stand Arena.

A pulsating encounter in which Auger-Aliassime struck 38 winners and Popyrin hit 36 tilted the Australian qualifier’s way after he sealed the only break of the deciding set in the 11th game with a stunning backhand pass. Popyrin then held his nerve behind serve to book a third-round spot on main-draw debut in Rome, where he will next face 22nd seed Sebastian Korda or Roman Safiullin.

HUGE WIN! ✅

Popyrin takes out No.10 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a 3 hour clash 6-4 4-6 7-5!@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/tKJF09mNmM

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 12, 2023

In January, Popyrin also beat Auger-Aliassime (then No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings) in Adelaide before he downed Taylor Fritz (then No. 9) at the Australian Open. Friday’s win moved the 23-year-old to 3-0 against Top 10 opponents this season.

Francisco Cerundolo was another three-set winner early on the Friday schedule at the Foro Italico. The Argentine trailed Wu Yibing 0-2 in the deciding set but rallied to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph to advance. It was a first main-draw win in Rome for the 24-year-old, who next takes on 11th seed Karen Khachanov or Gregoire Barrere.