Filip Krajinovic produced an inspired performance to upset Andrey Rublev at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday, nullifying the sixth seed’s powerful groundstrokes to surge to a 6-2, 6-4 win at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome.

It was the fifth tour-level meeting between Rublev and Krajinovic, but the first on clay, and it was the Serbian who settled faster on Grand Stand Arena. The World No. 54 opened a 4-0 lead on his way to the opening set and took the second with a solitary break to record a 69-minute victory, sealing the deal in style with a sliced backhand drop shot that left Rublev with no chance.

The win moves Krajinovic 3-2 ahead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. Having beaten Frances Tiafoe in the first round on Sunday, the triumph over Rublev means Krajinovic equals his best previous performance in Rome, a third-round run in 2020. Tuesday’s victory over the World No. 7 was just the Serbian’s fourth over a Top 10 opponent in 27 attempts.

Krajinovic’s third-round opponent will be a home favourite, either Fabio Fognini or 10th seed Jannik Sinner.

Fifth seed Casper Ruud avoided an upset of his own when he eked out a 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 win over Botic van de Zandschulp, avenging a recent straight-sets loss to the dangerous Dutchman in Munich. The Norwegian next will play the winner of David Goffin and Jenson Brooksby.

Ruud this week is looking to turn around a relatively modest clay-court swing, which had returned just four wins from four events heading into Rome. No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ruud improved to 18-8 on the season after winning 61 per cent of points on his opponent’s serve.

Felix Auger-Aliassime had his back against it literally and figuratively on Tuesday evening in Rome, but the Canadian star found a way to win.

The eighth seed rallied past in-form Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 after three hours and two minutes to reach the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

“It’s a great win. Great for my confidence to be able to spend three hours on the clay. Very encouraging for what’s to come here and in Paris,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. “I feel good physically. I was able to battle it out with one of the best young clay-court players we have in the game right now. He’s not playing this way by accident. He’s playing really well consistently, so it’s a great win for me.”

After the first set, a victory looked far from certain. Davidovich Fokina stormed through the end of the opening set and Auger-Aliassime then took a medical timeout to receive treatment on his back.

“At the end of the first set I went for a slide forehand and something tweaked in my back. I just felt a sharp pain, so I thought it would be good to get some treatment, some medication,” Auger-Aliassime said. “But after it felt okay. It’s not the best, but it feels good.”

Davidovich Fokina, the recent Monte Carlo finalist, earned two break points at 4-4 in the second set. On the first, he controlled the point, but missed an inside-out forehand. On the second, Auger-Aliassime painted the sideline with a forehand approach shot.

The Canadian then found his best tennis to battle through the tie-break and pull away in the deciding set. According to Tennis Data Innovation’s Insights, the key was how often Auger-Aliassime was on offence.

Although the opponents were similarly efficient on offence and defence, the Balance of Power showed that Auger-Aliassime was in an attacking position 31 per cent of the time compared to 22 per cent for Davidovich Fokina. The average on Tour is 21 per cent.

“He was playing amazing, to be honest. I wasn’t playing so bad. Unfortunately got broken in a tight game that he played good. Saved a couple important break points in the second set, was able to turn it around, played a great tie-break,” said Auger-Aliassime, who will next face 12th seed Diego Schwartzman or American lucky loser Marcos Giron. “Third set was the best of all, for sure. It’s great to finish that way and it’s very encouraging for what is to come.”

Another Canadian, 13th seed Denis Shapovalov, defeated Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 7-6(5). The lefty will challenge third seed Rafael Nadal or big-serving American John Isner for a place in the quarter-finals.

Shapovalov only faced one break point against 2021 Indian Wells finalist Basilashvili and he saved it. The 23-year-old won 85 per cent of his first-serve points in his one-hour, 40-minute victory.

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.