One of the biggest storylines in the ATP right now are the injuries running rampant at the top of the game. But as far as first-round matches at Masters 1000s are concerned, that issue doesn’t factor in. The quality of play to open the ATP Rome Masters is the same as ever, and here are the five matches poised to stand out:
1. Alexei Popyrin vs Matteo Berrettini
Home favorite Matteo Berrettini has a tough test in his first-round match in the form of Alexei Popyrin. Both of these players have had extremely high highs in their careers, but have also been through some low lows. By ranking Popyrin is the favorite, but Berrettini is far more comfortable on clay and he has the home-crowd advantage. The fans in Rome urging him on could be the spark Berrettini needs to find his typical clay-court form, but if he doesn’t manage to get to the level he’s reached in the past then this match could be very close. Whoever wins will face 26th seed Jakub Mensik in the second round.
2. Marcos Giron vs Marin Cilic
Tour veteran Marin Cilic has been holding on by a great serve, but he has been able to back it up at times this season. He was sidelined by food poisoning in Madrid, but not before he notched a quality win over Zizou Bergs in the first round. Marcos Giron hasn’t quite had the best results this clay season, but Giron can expose Cilic’s movement with his own speed. This match could be somewhat serve-dominated, a less common occurrence on clay, and if Giron can’t wear Cilic down then Cilic could certainly get the win. The winner of this match takes on 14th seed Valentin Vacherot in the second round.
3. Zizou Bergs vs Terence Atmane
Terence Atmane has found himself in more than a few dramatic matches this season, and the trend could very well continue against Zizou Bergs. Atmane has been playing great tennis and has fallen just short of a few upset wins in recent tournaments. Bergs has more momentum coming into Rome, having just made the final of a Challenger the week prior. If Atmane brings his best tennis, though, then Bergs will have to raise his level. Bergs is rising in the rankings but hasn’t managed a deep main-draw run this season, and if he wants to rise further he’ll need bigger results to back it up. Atmane is an up-and-down player, so the key for Bergs is to stay consistent throughout the match. Whoever comes out on top will be up against 10th seed Flavio Cobolli in the second round.
