Jannik Sinner provided the evening entertainment at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday, sending the Italian fans home happy after his 6-4, 6-3 win over Pedro Martinez. The San Candido native started strongly in Rome, firing 26 winners — including 15 off the forehand — as he opened his bid to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the Italian capital.

“Very pleased obviously,” he said of the result. “It was a very warm welcome from all of them. It’s an incredible feeling playing here in Rome with a lot of crowds.

“I can be happy. I can do better for sure, so let’s see how it goes.”

The 20-year-old won the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals on home soil in Milan in 2019, but has been as far the last 16 just once in three previous Rome appearances. He has reached the quarter-final stage in four of his six ATP Tour events this season, including at ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami and Monte Carlo, and the Australian Open.

With Martinez entering Rome Masters 1000 at a career-high of No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the Spaniard provided a tough opening test for his 10th-seeded opponent in the first meeting between the pair. But Sinner, who improved to 7-0 in first-round matches on the season, rose to the challenge with the support of a packed Centre Court crowd.

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The Italian stormed out of the gates by winning the first seven points of the match on the way to a 3-0 lead. Though he missed out on a chance to serve out the opening set, Sinner immediately rebounded by getting back to the heavy hitting that gave him the lead in the first place. Pinning Martinez behind the baseline, he sealed the set with his second break, firing winners off both baseline wings on the last two points.

There was little Martinez could do as Sinner again raced to a 3-0 lead in set two with more bruising baseline play. He saved the only break point he faced in the second and closed the match with his fourth ace after one hour and 24 minutes.

The home favourite dominated the Balance of Power in the match, playing 26 per cent of his shots from attacking positions compared to 17 per cent for Martinez.

Sinner will next face countryman Fabio Fognini Wednesday evening in the second round. Fognini beat Dominic Thiem on Monday and is two wins away from his 400th tour-level victory. The Centre Court headliner will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I got to know him a little bit more in Davis Cup,” Sinner said of Fognini. “He gave me many, many things, some energy, because it was not easy for me for the first time last year in Turin. For sure now it’s going to be tough for me, for him. It’s going to be a packed house. But I [will] just enjoy it. Hopefully it’s going to be a great match.

“I hope [the crowd support] will be equal. Because he made a lot of history, especially here. And I start now, so it’s a little bit another generation.”

Defending champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic got back to winning ways Tuesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a dominant victory to open their Rome campaign. The third seeds cruised past Lukasz Kubot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-3, 6-3, to earn their first victory since reaching the Belgrade final last month.

After early exits in Munich and Madrid, the Croatians started strongly in the Italian capital. They broke serve three times in the match and erased all four break points against them, winning 74 per cent (26/35) of their first-serve points with the help of seven aces. Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz await in the last 16.

Mektic and Pavic reached the Dubai final in February but are still seeking their first title of 2022. The Croatians won nine titles last season, their first as a team, including three at ATP Masters 1000 events (Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome). They also claimed the Wimbledon title and Tokyo Olympic gold.

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In an all-Italian showdown between wild-card duos, Luca Nardi and Lorenzo Sonego downed Flavio Cobolli and Francesco Forti, 6-2, 6-7(7), 10-4. They will face eighth-seeded Germans Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, recent champions in Barcelona and Munich, in the last 16.

Another Match Tie-break saw the fourth-seeded duo of John Peers and Filip Polasek dismissed in the opening round, with Andrey Golubev and Maximo Gonzalez taking a 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 decision.

Novak Djokovic’s bid to retain his World No. 1 status enjoyed a solid start on Tuesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, as the five-time champion brushed past Aslan Karatsev, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The top seed must reach the semi-finals to prevent Daniil Medvedev from taking his spot at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, and the Serbian’s all-round performance against Karatsev represented an impressive start to that mission. Djokovic’s return game was at its relentless best as he broke the World No. 35’s serve four times on his way to a comfortable win on centre court.

Prior to the match Djokovic spoke of the physical improvements he felt during his run to the semi-finals at last week’s Mutua Madrid Open after a difficult start to 2022. Although the quickfire nature of his victory meant the 37-time Masters 1000 champion’s stamina was not severely tested against Karatsev, his outstanding defensive game appeared back to its imperious best.

Karatsev had beaten Djokovic in his hometown in the pair’s sole previous meeting on clay at the 2021 Serbia Open. The World No. 35 dropped his opening service game at the Foro Italico but broke back immediately, a demonstration of the threat his high-powered game can pose. The three-time ATP Tour titlist could not hold off Djokovic for long, however, as the Serbian broke again in the eighth game on his way to the opening set.

The second set was more straightforward for Djokovic, who surged to a 4-0 lead as Karatsev struggled to make any real impact against his accurate delivery. The Serbian had no issues serving out to complete victory in 91 minutes to move into a 2-1 ATP Head2Head series lead over Karatasev.

Djokovic is chasing a maiden title for 2022 in Rome, where his third-round opponent will be fellow Serbian Laslo Djere or former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka.

Daniil Medvedev is currently No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, but Novak Djokovic has his destiny in his own hands this week in Rome. The World No. 1 has an opportunity to retain his spot atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday based on his performance at this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

If Djokovic advances to at least the semi-finals at the Foro Italico, he will remain World No. 1. Anything less, Medvedev will take his place and begin his second stint at the sport’s pinnacle.

According to the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Medvedev has 7,980 points, putting him 310 points ahead of Djokovic, who has 7,670 points. Djokovic’s total already incorporates the 10 points he will earn if he loses in the second round. Medvedev has moved ahead because he is only dropping 10 points this week, while Djokovic reached last year’s Rome final and is defending 600 points.

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings (View Full Standings)

Since Medvedev is not competing at the Foro Italico, Djokovic will claw closer to his rival with each match win this week. The Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings will reflect the points he earns, sending the Serbian closer to top spot.

But there is also a chance Djokovic could fall as low as World No. 3 next Monday. If Alexander Zverev lifts the trophy and Djokovic does not make the quarter-finals, the German will climb to a career-high World No. 2.

If Zverev triumphs and Djokovic advances to the quarter-finals, they will be tied on 7,840 points. The 37-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist would keep World No. 2 by winning the tie-breaker — the most total points combined from the Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 mandatory tournaments and Nitto ATP Finals main draws — against Zverev.

Although 10-time Rome titlist Nadal is No. 4 in this week’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings, he has slipped to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. That is because the Spaniard is defending the 1,000 points he earned by emerging victorious last year at the Foro Italico. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is defending 180 points from a quarter-final showing in Rome, is up to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

If Nadal lifts an 11th trophy at the Italian Masters 1000 event, he is guaranteed to keep World No. 4 next week. If the 35-year-old does not advance to the quarter-finals, Tsitsipas will move up a spot.

The Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings also show who has an opportunity to make a big move up and which players have work to do to avoid a sizable fall.

Home favourite Fabio Fognini is No. 56 in this week’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But because of the number of points players ahead of him have to defend, and he lost in the first round in Rome last year, the Italian was already up to No. 51 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings before he earned his first-round win against Dominic Thiem. 

Federico Delbonis is currently World No. 39, but slipped to No. 59 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after dropping the 205 points he is defending from making the quarter-finals as a qualifier last year. With his first-round loss against 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, Delbonis will only slide further the rest of the week as other players add points with wins.

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.