It’s time to kick off main draw action in the men’s singles event at the 2024 Italian Open. Luciano Darderi takes on Denis Shapovalov in the first match on Center Court at ATP Rome. Will Shapovalov keep playing as well as he did in Madrid, or will the more natural clay-courter in Darderi find a way to top him?
ATP Rome Day 1 Predictions
Maximilian Marterer vs Flavio Cobolli
Head-to-head: Marterer 1-0
Maximilian Marterer blasted Flavio Cobolli off the court in Danderyd last year, but that was during the German’s peak moment at the end of the season. The points amassed there allowed him to appear in many main tour events over the last few months, but that didn’t work out at all. In fact, qualifying for Rome is pretty much his best result of the year. He even needed to save a match point against Andrea Picchione. On clay, Cobolli should have a great chance at avenging that blowout loss.
Prediction: Cobolli in 2
Alexander Shevchenko vs Fabian Marozsan
Head-to-head: First meeting
ATP Rome was one of the breakout runs of Fabian Marozsan last year as the Hungarian upset World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz while ranked No. 135 at the time. His record in ATP 1000 events is really good in general, although he failed to maintain it in Madrid with a second-round exit. This seems like a decent draw, with Alexander Shevchenko struggling to get going this clay season. Marozsan isn’t a consistent player, though, and he’ll need to keep his error count in check.
Prediction: Marozsan in 3
Yannick Hanfmann vs Jakub Mensik
Head-to-head: 1-1
Jakub Mensik defeated Yannick Hanfmann in the opening round in Madrid, and as long as he’s healthy, he looks like the heavy favorite here. But that’s the question mark, as after also defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the Spanish capital, he only stayed on the court with Felix Auger-Aliassime for 35 minutes due to an elbow injury. The Czech is still one of the most exciting young talents right now, but that counts for nothing if he’s not fit. If he’s recovered, he’ll beat Hanfmann again.
Prediction: Mensik in 2
Denis Shapovalov vs Luciano Darderi
Head-to-head: First meeting
Denis Shapovalov earned a couple of great wins over clay specialists in Madrid, but backing it up in Rome won’t be easy. While he is a former semi-finalist of this event, it seems that we might have to wait for the grass or hard courts to see the Canadian get back to his best. Luciano Darderi should be able to fight back with the heavy forehand here and likely watch the errors flow. It would take a very composed and controlled version of Shapovalov’s game to prevail.
Prediction: Darderi in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
