The ATP Tour heads to Rome for a star-studded Masters 1000 clay-court event. The Internazionali BNL d’Italia in the Italian capital is filled with a 96-man singles draw that features the 13 top-ranked players in the world. Day 1 in Rome will feature a bevy of intriguing Round 1 matches, including Spaniard Jaume Munar taking on the explosive Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis. We at LWOT have the preview and prediction for that match and all other happenings in Rome. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches, split between three articles. One features Andy Murray vs Fabio Fognini, the second highlights Ilya Ivashka vs Stan Wawrinka, and the third features Richard Gasquet vs Yibing Wu. But who will advance?
ATP Rome Day 1 Predictions
Brandon Nakashima vs Gregoire Barrere
Head-to-Head: first meeting
21-year-old American Brandon Nakashima has not had a strong start to the season. He has been dealing with a knee injury and is only 3-6 in the matches he has played in 2023. Frenchman Gregoire Barrere provides an intriguing first-round battle in Rome. Both players prefer hard courts and have not had much ATP success on the clay. When in form, Nakashima’s consistency will do him well in a match like this. Unfortunately, he has played in just one match over the past six weeks and will not be able to hang in the long points.
Prediction: Barrere in 2
Pedro Cachin vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-Head: Cachin 1-0 Garin
Two clay-court ringers in Pedro Cachin and Cristian Garin will meet in the first round in Rome. Cachin is 8-3 in his last 11 matches, while Garin holds a 15-5 record since the beginning of March. We are in store for a blistering match when they meet. I expect a hard-fought three-set match, but ultimately give the advantage to Garin. He will be able to dictate points from the baseline with his weapons off both wings.
Prediction: Garin in 3
Arthur Rinderknech vs Flavio Cobolli
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Arthur Rinderknech and Italian youngster Flavio Cobolli will square off in Rome. Cobolli is into his second career Masters main draw after advancing through two rounds of qualifying this week. The 21-year-old is a strong clay-court player and will have the home crowd’s support. Unfortunately for the Italian, Rinderknech has too much experience to lose this match. The Frenchman comes to Rome on a three-match losing streak and will be hungry to return to the win column. His variety should force Cobolli into many unforced errors.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 2
Jaume Munar vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Head-to-Head: Munar 1-0 Kokkinakis
Jaume Munar will look to continue his winning ways against Thanasi Kokkinakis when they meet in Rome. Munar bested the Aussie 7-6 7-6 two weeks ago in Madrid. Since then, Kokkinakis has racked up four clay-court wins, including two qualifying wins this week in Rome. He is playing with a lot of confidence and holds a 21-10 record at all levels this year. I expect another tight match between these two, but I lean toward the Aussie here. His serve will put him over the top when it matters most.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
