The Rome Masters gets underway on Wednesday with Jenson Brooksby taking on Sebastian Baez in the opening round. Italy’s own Matteo Arnaldi looks to continue his winning streak against Jaume Munar.
Jenson Brooksby vs. Sebastian Baez
It’s bad luck for Jenson Brooksby that he runs headlong into a talented clay-courter first thing at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The world No. 63 is having an absolutely disastrous year. He comes into Rome having lost four matches in a row. The American has had some success — he managed to get his ranking as high as 33rd in the world — but a year-long suspension put a serious hitch in his momentum.
Argentina’s Sebastian Baez enjoyed a fair amount of success during the Golden Swing in South America. The 25-year-old is the better clay-courter and he will be looking to capitalize on Brooksby’s current form — or lack thereof.
Cheryl pick: Baez in 2
Ricky pick: Baez in 2
(WC) Matteo Arnaldi vs. Jaume Munar
This is an interesting first-round matchup . Matteo Arnaldi depended on a wild card from Italian tennis to gain entry this week. The Italian was once ranked 30th in the world, but he has seen his ranking slip outside the top 100. He recently had notable success at a Challenger event Cagliari, where he won the title over Hubert Hurkacz on Sunday. His ATP record, however, is 0-5 on the season.
Arnaldi faces Jaume Munar in the first round. Munar has been on the struggle bus this season, although his results have been nowhere near as disappointing as his opponent’s. Given Arnaldi’s most recent form, this should be a competitive match — but I give the nod to the Spaniard.
Cheryl pick: Munar in 3
Ricky pick: Arnaldi in 2