First-round action in Rome will wrap up on Tuesday, when an intriguing contest pits Borna Coric against a red-hot Stefanos Tsitsipas. Denis Shapovalov, meanwhile, reached the Madrid semifinals and will try to keep things going at Tomas Berdych’s expense.
Borna Coric vs. (Q) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Coric and Tsitsipas, who are separated by just two years and three ranking spots, will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday. Tsitsipas has been one of the stars of this clay-court swing, with a second-round performance in Monte-Carlo as a qualifier, a runner-up finish in Barcelona, and a semifinal showing in Estoril. The 19-year-old finally ran out of gas amidst a heavy workload, losing third-set tiebreakers in the Estoril semis (to Joao Sousa) and in the Madrid first round (to Evgeny Donskoy). With some much-needed rest between the two Masters 1000 events, Tsitsipas got back in gear to beat Mikhail Kukushkin (in another third-set tiebreaker) and Dusan Lajovic to qualify for the Rome main draw.
In three tournaments outside the Masters level this season, Coric has won a total of four matches. In four Masters events, he has won 11 matches–including a semifinal run in Indian Wells, a quarterfinal trip in Miami, and a third-round result in Madrid. The 21-year-old Croat could have fared even better last week, but he failed to serve out a potential win over eventual finalist Dominic Thiem and lost 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Aside from when he has been physically spent, Tsitsipas has been incredibly clutch in pressure-packed moments this spring. That, along with his current confidence and outstanding clay-court form, should help the world No. 43 survive another competitive affair.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 3
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Denis Shapovalov vs. (15) Tomas Berdych
Berdych remains the seeded player in this matchup with Shapovalov unseeded, but roles could be reversed sooner rather than later. In fact, with Berdych defending runner-up points in Lyon and semifinal points at Wimbledon, he could be surpassed in the rankings by the 19-year-old Canadian sometime this summer–especially if the 17th-ranked Czech loses Tuesday’s head-to-head showdown. Berdych is a modest 10-7 in 2018 and has lost three straight matches dating back to the Miami third round, including opening losses in Monte-Carlo (to Kei Nishikori) and Madrid (to Richard Gasquet).
Another tough draw awaits the 32-year-old, as Shapovalov is in fine form and has already earned more than half of his career ATP-level match victories (15 of 29) this season. The world No. 29 all but clinched a French Open seed by making his second-ever appearance in a Masters 1000 semifinal last week in Madrid, where he beat Tennys Sandgren, Benoit Paire, Milos Raonic, and Kyle Edmund before succumbing to eventual champion Alexander Zverev. Becoming increasingly comfortable on clay, Shapovalov should able to withstand Berdych’s power and showcase enough variety to frustrate a struggling opponent.
Pick: Shapovalov in 3
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