The fourth round is set at the ATP Rome Masters, and with a tournament full of upsets it seems that anything can happen. Daniil Medvedev is in action looking to defend his title and is surely one of the favorites after Novak Djokovic’s defeat. Stefanos Tsitsipas is another strong favorite in action looking for his second Masters 1000 title of the clay court swing. It will be a full day of tennis with plenty of good matches in store, all of which are previewed here at Last Word on Tennis. Four of the day’s matches are in this article, and four are in a separate article.
ATP Rome Day 7 Predictions
Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Tabilo
Head-to-head: 1-0 Khachanov
Khachanov is enjoying a surprisingly strong clay season so far. He has scored several good wins and his two losses have been to elite players in Jannik Sinner and Tsitsipas. He played nearly flawless tennis in round three to knock out a strong clay courter in Francisco Cerundolo. Tabilo will look to continue the momentum of his own after the win of his career over Novak Djokovic. While Djokovic did not look sharp, Tabilo played excellent tennis and did not give him a chance to claw back into the match. Both players have good serves and serving will be the decider of the match. Khachanov has the advantage there and will be able to manage his nerves better to win the key points that will make the difference in the match.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
Zhizhen Zhang vs Thiago Monteiro
Head-to-head: First meeting
This meeting will see two players who are both surprises to see in the Round of 16 after knocking off players in good form. Monteiro breezed through qualifying then defeated an in-form Jordan Thompson in the second round to open up his draw. Zhang has scored consecutive strong wins over Ben Shelton and Adrian Mannarino, dropping just ten games over those two matches. Zhang’s form has been impressive against better competition, and he will have to rely on his serve to control the match. He has returned well so far and will likely continue to do so, but Moneiro’s abilities to grind on clay will give him trouble. It will be close but Zhang looks excellent right now and will pull it out.
Prediction: Zhang in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: 1-1
Dimitrov is not the player he once was. Indeed, there’s a strong argument to be made that he never fully became the player he should have been. However, he’s been in impressive form the past few years, reminding the world of his potential and that he can hang with the best in the game. Taylor Fritz is one of the best in the game, though not quite at the elite level required of Slam champions. Clay is the American’s worst surface, and it won’t be surprising to see a motivated Dimitrov move past him here.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 2
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-head: 10-1 Tsistsipas
This may not be the most surprising head to head record of the day but maybe on tour. While Tsitsipas has had a great career, winning 10 of 11 meetings is fairly shocking against a player at the caliber of de Minaur. While de Minaur did win their most recent meeting a few months ago in Acapulco, Tsitsipas has won all four of the sets they have played on clay convincingly. Tsitsipas is really coming into form on clay and he has the advantage in both the matchup and on his favorite surface and will extend his head to head lead even more.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
