After Casper Ruud won his first Masters 1000 title in Madrid, the ATP tTur moves to Rome for the last clay Masters 1000 of the season. The first round begins Wednesday without the seeds, yet still with plenty of interesting matchups in prospect in what should be a great day of tennis in the Italian capital to kickstart the tournament.<\/p>\n
Head-to-head:<\/strong> Thompson 4-0 Perricard<\/p>\n Thompson has won all four matches and all eight sets between the pair–two of them this year at Masters 1000 level, in Miami and Monte Carlo. While Mpetshi Perricard’s huge serve<\/a> is effective on faster surfaces, the same doesn’t seem to be the case on slower surfaces for now, and even if Thompson himself struggles on clay he should have a clear edge when it comes to returning and rallying and this match could well pan out in a similar way to their Monte Carlo encounter. Head-to-head:<\/strong> Lehecka 2-0 Muller<\/p>\n Both Lehecka and Muller had strong starts to the season but have been struggling to get wins in recent tournaments, so they will be looking to gain some momentum back here in Rome. While Muller is a solid player, Lehecka seems to have a clearly higher upside and if he plays anywhere close to his best level he should prevail here.
\nPrediction:<\/strong> Thompson in 2<\/p>\nJiri Lehecka vs Alexandre Muller<\/h4>\n
\nPrediction:<\/strong> Lehecka in 2<\/p>\n