The ATP elite, led by Novak Djokovic, started the tournament in Rome. Two favourites bid farewell to the tournament

The ATP Masters tournament in Rome on Friday saw some very interesting names from the top male tennis players. The event in the Italian capital is a dress rehearsal for the French Open and is really well attended. But some of the top players said goodbye to the event in their very first match. Here’s a recap of Friday’s highlights.

Felix Auger Aliassime

Canadian Auger Aliassime repeated his performance from Madrid a fortnight ago. Just like in Spain, he says goodbye after the first match in Italy. After a great fight. He lost to the Australian Popyrin after more than three hours of play after sets 4::6, 6::4, 5::7. The Canadian’s first serve success rate of 51% and nine double faults are definitely figures he will have to improve at the French Open.

Jannik Sinner

The home tennis player Jannik Sinner started the Italian Open successfully. He defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is currently in the second 100 of the ATP rankings, smoothly in two sets. Sinner leaned on his first serve very well. He lost only one ball in the whole match after a successful first serve.

His path through the tournament could soon be crossed by Russian Kachanov. But the world No. 11 is another surprising loser. In the third set, he came back from a 2:5 disadvantage against the Frenchman Barrera, but eventually went down in a tiebreak.

Djokovic and the young Northerners

Novak Djokovic returns to the courts after unconvincing performances and minor elbow problems. He hasn’t played for three weeks and the action in Rome should show how he is doing ahead of Roland Garros. He ran into the 23-year-old Argentine Etcheverry.

Djokovic did not start confidently, losing his serve early in the match, but eventually won the opening set in a tiebreak. The second set was already won by the current world number one with an easy 6:2. The Belgrade native went to the net often and won a third of his points in this game situation.

Casper Ruud is not having a successful tennis year. On Friday, the Frenchman Rinderknech awaited him in Rome. The first set was decided by a break from Nora in the tenth game. From that point on, Ruud was king on the court and won every game. In one hour of play it was done and the tournament’s number four can look forward to Kazakhstan’s Bublik, with whom the Norwegian tennis player has a positive record of 4::1.

Holger Rune defended his triumph on clay in Munich at the end of April. However, he said goodbye after the second match in Madrid. In Rome, he can be expected to step up again, although he still had to play a qualifier here last year and failed. Now, however, the Dane is somewhere else and he entered the match with the 18-year-old Frenchman Fils as a clear favourite.

He confirmed his position from the very first ball and after two sets, which the Dane won 6: 3, he is going to face the home team’s Fabio Fognini. The latter knocked out Andy Murray in his first match and is approaching his Rome high.

On Saturday, other outstanding players will be in Rome, led by Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. It will be interesting to see if they all hold their own in what is still a well-attended tournament.

Source: ATP