Quarterfinal competition at the Rome Masters will wrap up on Thursday, headlined by an intriguing matchup between Hubert Hurkacz and Tommy Paul. The winner will meet either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Nicolas Jarry.
(7) Hubert Hurkacz vs. (14) Tommy Paul
Hurkacz and Paul will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday. They have split their two previous encounters; Hurkacz prevailed 7-5, 7-6(4) on the indoor hard courts of Paris in 2021 before Paul got the job done 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 last year in Indian Wells.
A third Masters 1000 meeting has come following impressive runs by both guys. Hurkacz beat Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match and has since taken out accomplished clay-courters in Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Sebastian Baez. Even though this isn’t his best surface, clay-court success is nothing new for ninth-ranked Pole; he began this current dirt swing with a title in Estoril. Paul has advanced with victories over Aslan Karatsev, Dominik Koepfer, and Daniil Medvedev–none was even competitive. The world No. 16 is probably more comfortable on clay than any other American, once even declaring it his favorite surface. Although Hurkacz’s serve can be dominant in any situation, in slow conditions Paul may be able to work his way into enough points to pull off a minor upset.
Pick: Paul in 3
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(6) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (21) Nicolas Jarry
In awesome form and with nobody in the top four left in the draw, Tsitsipas is arguably the title favorite in Rome. He is looking like a serious contender at Roland Garros, as well. The eighth-ranked Greek has already advanced to a pair of clay-court finals this spring (champion in Monte-Carlo, runner-up in Barcelona) and so far in Rome has ousted Jan-Lennard Struff, Cameron Norrie, and Alex de Minaur–the latter via a 6-1, 6-2 beatdown.
Up next for Tsitsipas on Thursday is the continuation of a somewhat surprising rivalry with Jarry that emerged in 2023. They faced each other four times last season and split those matches at two wins apiece, giving Jarry an overall 3-2 lead in the head-to-head series. However, Tsitsipas rolled through their only previous clay-court contest 6-3, 6-4 last spring in Monte-Carlo. The 24th-ranked Chilean has impressed this fortnight by taking out Matteo Arnaldi, Stefano Napolitano, and Alexandre Muller, but Tsitsipas is simply on a different level from those opponents–and from Jarry.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 2
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WWW?
Colin Fleming was spot on when he said Hurkacz and Jarry can both make things difficult with their big serves, especially if they serve well.
Jarry is a danger match for Tsitsipas. I’m not saying he will lose but it may not be the gimme that people are expecting. Tsitsipas will need to return well.
Hurkacz in 3
Tsitsipas in 3
Tommy in 3; Tsi in 3.
I originally had Paul in 3 but changed it without giving it much thought. You always have to be careful you don’t get to distracted by others.
There wasn’t much in it in the end; apparently Hurkacz had a break in the 3rd but Paul in 3 was the right pick.
I said this was a danger match for Tsitsipas and Ricky didn’t want to hear a word of it. You just have to accept people for the way they are and move on.
Tsitsipas definitely should have won in 2. Choked break points.
Like Hurkacz should’ve won after getting the break in the 3rd?
Give Ricky 2 days, he’ll be back to normal. Knows everything, you’re only good for the insights you contribute to him knowing best.
Don’t worry, there’s plenty of people in this world like that.
Great prediction.lol Jarry was awesome.
That wasn’t me. I wish everyone well.