Spots in the second week of the Rome Masters will be up for grabs when Novak Djokovic faces Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday. Another intriguing third-round showdown will see Italy’s own Fabio Fognini battle Holger Rune.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (26) Grigor Dimitrov
Djokovic and Dimitrov will be squaring off for the 12th time in their careers when they meet again in round three of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday. The head-to-head series stands at 10-1 in favor of Djokovic, who has won eight in a row since losing to Dimitrov at the 2013 Madrid Masters. They most recently faced each other earlier this year at the Australian Open, where the top-ranked Serb looked vulnerable in the early rounds but still cruised 7-6(7), 6-3, 6-4.
Although Djokovic continues to be far from his best level, he did well to scrape past an in-form Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5), 6-2 on Friday night in Rome. Dimitrov beat Stan Wawrinka 7-6(4), 6-3, but the 33rd-ranked Bulgarian is still a modest 12-8 for his 2023 campaign. It should also be noted that he is 0-10 in his last 10 matches against opponents ranked in the top five since upsetting Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters. This will probably be another straight-setter even if Djokovic is still playing at less than his normal standard.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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(WC) Fabio Fognini vs. (7) Holger Rune
Rune is looking to complete the Triple Crown of circus-like atmospheres at the three clay-court Masters 1000 events. The 20-year-old Dane checked off those boxes against Jannik Sinner in Monte-Carlo (basically a home match for the Italian) and against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Madrid. Now he runs into Fognini on the Italian’s Rome stomping grounds. Anything less than an absolutely wild affair between two of the sport’s most combustible characters would be a disappointment for tennis fans.
If Fognini comes to play, it could also be a high-quality contest. Rune has been in awesome form dating back to last fall and Fognini is playing inspired tennis through two rounds of this tournament. The world No. 130 opened with a three-set victory over Andy Murray before ousting 30th seed Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 7-6(6). Fognini’s talent remains such that he can beat anyone on any given day, but Rune thrives in lively atmospheres and his game is more likely to withstand the pressure moments of a long, competitive match.
Pick: Rune in 3
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