First-round action at the Rome Masters wraps up on Thursday with a blockbuster battle between Tomas Machac and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Denis Shapovalov kicks off his fortnight against Mariano Navone.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Tomas Machac
Machac and Tsitsipas will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday. They split their two previous encounters; Tsitsipas prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on the indoor hard courts of Vienna in 2023 before Machac scored a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) victory at this year’s Australian Open.
Both guys have been all over the place in 2026 — which is nothing new for them. Machac captured a title in Adelaide, but he has lost his opening match at four different tournaments. The 41st-ranked Czech is off to a decent start on clay, with a quarterfinal showing in Barcelona and a second-round performance in Madrid. Tsitsipas is coming off a much-needed fourth-round run at the Caja Magica, but he had previously been 2-6 in his last eight matches. The 75th-ranked Greek simply cannot be trusted, and his backhand is likely to go off the rails again against a player who takes balls early and can mess with opponents’ timing.
Pick: Machac in 2
Denis Shapovalov vs. Mariano Navone
When you consider the surface, the only previous result between Shapovalov and Navone is an absolute shocker. On the grass courts of Wimbledon in 2025, it was Navone who came out on top via a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 decision. For reference, Shapovalov is a former Wimbledon semifinalist; Navone is 2-6 lifetime on grass. In fact, the Argentine has won 21 matches away from clay in his entire professional career across all levels.
Obviously one match is a small sample size, but it’s still discouraging for Shapovalov. What’s even more alarming is his current form. The 37th-ranked Canadian is 4-7 in his last 11 matches and won a grand total of three games against Nikolai Budkov Kjaer in Madrid. Navone’s clay-court swing already features an ATP 250 title in Bucharest, so the world No. 44 has to once again like his chances in this particular matchup.
Pick: Navone in 2