Novak Djokovic will kick off his bid at the Rome Masters against Aslan Karatsev on Tuesday. Monte-Carlo runner-up Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Madrid quarterfinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime are also in action.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Aslan Karatsev
Novak Djokovic’s world No. 1 status is on shaky ground. The Serb hasn’t yet won a title in 2022. His tournament options have been limited due to his decision not to get the COVID vaccine and he hasn’t been at his best in the tournaments he has been able to enter. He showed marked improvement last week in Madrid, where he played the match of the tournament against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Aslan Karatsev, the Russian who burst on the scene last year at the Australian Open, has split wins with Djokovic in their previous two meetings. Djokovic won their semifinal encounter in Melbourne, Karatsev returned the favor in Belgrade. The world No. 35 started off the season this year with a tournament win in Sydney, but he has hardly won any matches since.
Rome makes four clay events for the Russian on European clay; he has one win to show for his efforts. This should be routine for the top seed.
Cheryl pick: Djokovic in 2
Ricky pick: Djokovic in 2
(8) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
The only time Felix Auger-Aliassime stepped on court with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the match was a decided in four sets–each a tiebreaker. That was back at the beginning of the year at the Australian Open. Fans in Rome might not get such a treat this time around.
Auger-Aliassime’s game has been in shambles all spring. He gave Jannik Sinner a shellacking in the round of 16 last week in Madrid, but Alexander Zverev won in straight sets in the next match. Mostly it has been nothing but bad news out of the Canadian’s camp.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, conversely, made his way to the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters. He lost in straight sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas, but other than that he played impressive clay-court tennis for the entire tournament. While he is ranked 29th to Auger-Aliassime’s world No. 9, it will be no upset if Davidovich Fokina wins on Tuesday.
The Spaniard is just generally playing better on the dirt right now and Auger-Aliassime looks a little lost.
Cheryl pick: Davidovich Fokina in 3
Ricky pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2
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