Day five of the Rome Open had one of the greatest tennis players of all time, make his appearance in his second clay court tournament of the season.
The world number one was joined by Grigor Dimitrov, Casper Ruud, and Alexander Zverev as the only top 10 seeded players making appearances on Day five.
Also featuring were other fascinating talents like the American trio, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Sebastian Korda, who all won their matches, and Miomir Kecmanovic who shocked a top-five seeded player.
7 Time Rome Open Winner, Djokovic, Earns Easy Win
In their second-round clash of the Rome Open, despite breaking Novak Djokovic’s serve in the first game of the first set, Corentin Moutet surrendered his lead in the sixth game of the set with a backhand slice that went long. Djokovic went on to win the next three straight games through commanding net play, to win the set 6-3.
Unforced errors and poor returns were Moutet’s undoing in the first set. Djokovic converted all of the three break points he produced while Moutet converted two of the five he produced.
Djokovic had a fast start to the second set, breaking Moutet’s serve in the first game, returning the favor to the Frenchman. There was a funny moment in that game where Moutet’s phone began ringing just as he was about the serve.
Djokovic laughed it off. The commentators joked that Moutet had set it as a reminder for a “match with Novak.” Djokovic went on to convert two more break points en route to a 6-3, 6-1 victory on his return to the Rome Open.
Zverev Wins Vukic While Kecmanovic Downs Rudd
Alexander Zverev had a flying start to his second-round Rome Open exchange with Aleksandar Vukic. The German broke the Australian’s serve three times without facing a break point in the entire first set. His service game was also flawless, winning nine of 10 first service points and three of five-second service points.
The second set was equally excellent. The German hit five aces in addition to the three he hit in the first set. Vukic stepped up his game in the second set too. He produced two break points that Zverev saved and won all four points at the net. Zverev went on to break his serve in the 10th game to win the match.
Casper Ruud’s Rome Open started with a Miomir Kecmanovic challenge. The Norwegian was phenomenal in the first set, converting all of the three break points he created while hitting five aces and eight winners.
In the second set, the Serbian turned up the heat. He kept exchanging breaks of serve with Rudd until he broke the third seed for the third time to take the set 6-4.
Unforced errors let the Norwegian down in the third set and one of them was the only break of his serve in the seventh game. He dominated the Serbian at the net and converted seven of nine points. In the end, Kecmanovic won 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the Rome Open.
Also Read: Rafael Nadal Notches 70th Rome Open Victory In 3-Set Gritty Return To Rome
Dimitrov, Fritz, Shelton, And Khachanov Advance
Grigor Dimitrov took on the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round of the Rome Open. The Bulgarian was almost flawless all through.
En route to a 7-5, 6-4 win, Dimitrov hit 11 aces, winning 23 of his 25 1st serve points. He didn’t face a break point all match but converted two of the three he produced. He was also imperial at the net, winning 13 of 16 net points.
Fan favourite, Fabio Fognini, lost 3-6, 4-6 to 11th seed, Taylor Fritz. His performance was less than impressive with four double faults and 28 unforced errors.
Another young American, Ben Shelton, on the other hand, had a firecracker of an encounter with Russia’s Pavel Kotov. Although he dominated Kotov at the net, winning 17 of the 29 points he contested for at the net, and smashed 23 winners past the Russian, the power in the Russian’s first set shook the American. In the end, Shelton needed three sets to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Another Russian, Karen Khachanov, defeated Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 in their Rome Open encounter. Khachanov dominated the Kazakhstani in almost every aspect of the match including producing an average first-serve speed of 196 km/h.
Tomorrow, 11-time champion, Rafael Nadal, will continue his hunt for a 12th Rome Open title as he takes on Hubert Hurkacz, while the defending champion, Daniil Medvedev, will face British young sensation, Jack Draper.
Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Stefano Tsitsipas, Alex De Minaur, and Felix Auger-Aliassime will also be in action against their different respective opponents.
About the Author
Ebenezer has been an avid writer for over a decade and a half. Within that period, he has garnered experience in various fields such as editing, graphics design, transcribing, sales, data analysis, and football management.
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