“I don't like to play on this surface,” shouted Daniil Medvedev during their second-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open on the clay of the Manolo Santana court. The Muscovite won, but the next day he fell in the second round against Christian Garín. This week, he has fared even worse in Rome after losing the first exchange and in a resounding way (6-2 and 67-4) against his compatriot Aslan Karatsev, much more committed to the clay season. It will be this one who will face the American Reilly Opelka in the second round.
Medvedev leaves Italy without scoring any points, although his number two in the ranking is not in danger ahead of Roland Garros, because he has 9,780 and Nadal, who has finally subtracted 910 points (1,000 as 2019 champion, minus half of the 180 (90) he won in 2020 as a quarterfinalist), cannot add here and, at most, aspires to keep the 9,630 he has if he repeats the title. Daniil, who has not lost to any of his countrymen since 2019 (6-1 now), has a horrific record during his May career, now amounting to a poor 1-12 record.
I also had a bad time in the ATP draw of the Internazionali BNL Dominic Thiem, although the Austrian rallied to come back against the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics (3-6, 7-6 (5) and 7-0) and will be measured this Thursday with the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who beat his countryman Gianluca Mager by a double 6-4. He did not have the same fate as Thiem, another of the favorites, David Goffin, who disappointed with an unappealable defeat against Argentine Federico Delbonis, which continues to upset the greats and won 6-2 and 6-1. And that had to play the previous one. He will meet Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Alexander Zverev, champion last Sunday at the Caja Mágica, passed over Bolivian Hugo Dellien (double 6-2) and will run into Kei Nishikori, who went to the second round on Tuesday due to the resignation of Pablo Carreño. And Stefanos Tsitsipas had no mercy on what remains of Marin Cilic, a player who no longer finds his place on the circuit and who lost 7-5 and 6-2 against the Greek, who will cross with the Italian Matteo Berrettini, who went from less to more to beat the Australian John Millman by 6-4 and 6-2. Tsitsipas shares this season's win lead with Rublev with 28.
Results Masters 1.000 Rome.