It was a rainy Monday at the 2023 ATP Italian Open in Rome, and not every single fourth-round match is known just yet. Daniil Medvedev is awaiting the winner of Alexander Zverev and J.J. Wolf, while two other encounters are yet to be resolved with the winners due to face each other (Lorenzo Musetti vs Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Sonego). These matches will be edited into the article once they’re set (update – the predictions are already in).
Meanwhile, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner will try to continue their campaigns against some potentially dangerous opposition. Who do you think will come out on top?
ATP Rome Day 7 Predictions
Holger Rune vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is already a huge run for Alexei Popyrin, who usually doesn’t perform all that well on clay (despite his boys’ singles title at the French Open). The standout win came against Felix Auger-Aliassime, but the Canadian is struggling to return to his best after a small injury. Holger Rune dispatched a couple of opponents that were expected to give him a bit of a test – Arthur Fils and Fabio Fognini – without any issues. On the slower clay courts in Rome, Rune should find it rather easy to neutralize the serve and powerful game of Popyrin.
Prediction: Rune in 2
Alexander Zverev vs Daniil Medvedev
Head-to-head: Medvedev 8-6
Alexander Zverev had to finish his third-round match against J.J. Wolf Tuesday, but with the German only requiring six games to finish up the job, it probably won’t matter much for his next clash. We’ve recently seen this matchup at Monte Carlo, which was their first encounter on clay. Zverev was the better player almost throughout, but failed to serve out both sets he lost and wasted two match points. He’s still a better clay-courter than Medvedev though and has an early chance to exact revenge.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 4-0
Both players were forced to finish their last matches today, but either needed just more or less about a set. They’ve recently played in Barcelona, where Lorenzo Musetti managed to push Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals. That’s been the story of their rivalry with all three clay meetings being won by the Greek in deciding sets. Especially with the home crowd on his side, Musetti surely has a chance to make this competitive again. He remains the underdog though with not the best skillset to pressurize the Tsitsipas backhand.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Francisco Cerundolo
Head-to-head: Sinner 2-1
They played three times last year, but this will be their first clay-court meeting. Francisco Cerundolo won in Miami, but it was via retirement after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire at 1-4 down. The Italian’s decision to skip Madrid didn’t seem to hurt him in any way and he’s back to being 100% fit very quickly with wins over Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexander Shevchenko here. While this matchup should be more pleasant for Cerundolo than it was indoors, it’s still not an easy task to take out the in-form Sinner in Rome. He’d need his forehand to be an absolute fire here.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
