Jannik Sinner will continue his seemingly inevitable run to the Rome title when quarterfinal competition wraps up on Thursday. Sinner is facing Andrey Rublev, while Daniil Medvedev is going up against Martin Landaluce.
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. (12) Andrey Rublev
Sinner and Rublev will be colliding for the 11th time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 7-3 in favor of Sinner, including 2-1 on clay. Rublev has been surprisingly competitive in this matchup; only once has he failed to either take a set or at least force a tiebreaker.
Of course, Sinner is already an entirely different beast since Rublev last faced the current world No. 1 at the 2024 Cincinnati Masters. The 24-year-old Italian has won five consecutive Masters 1000 events, including four this season. He appears to be well on his way to another one, too, following Rome defeats of Sebastian Ofner, Alexei Popyrin, and Andrea Pellegrino. Rublev booked his spot in the last eight by beating Miomir Kecmanovic, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Nikoloz Basilashvili. The 14th-ranked Russian wields a huge forehand, but his serve leaves quite a bit to be desired and he is unlikely to win many free points on serve — especially on clay. When you can’t win free points against Sinner, bad things usually happen.
Pick: Sinner in 2
(LL) Martin Landaluce vs. (7) Daniil Medvedev
A week ago, Landaluce fell in the final round of qualifying to Pellegrino (who ended up reaching round four before losing to Sinner). The 20-year-old Spaniard is on his second life in Rome — and what a life it has been. He has made the most of his lucky-loser spot in the main draw by beating Marin Cilic, Mattia Bellucci, and Hamad Medjedovic all in straight sets. This is Lanadaluce’s second Masters 1000 quarterfinal appearance of the spring, having previously reached this stage in Miami.
Up next for the world No. 94 on Thursday is a first-ever showdown against Medvedev, who has also enjoyed some good fortune in Rome. The ninth-ranked Russian did not even play a match until Monday, as he followed up a first-round bye with a walkover from Tomas Machac. Medvedev then disposed of Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Thiago Agustin Tirante, the latter in convincing 6-3, 6-2 fashion on Tuesday night. With the rest edge and the experience advantage (including being a former champion of this tournament), Medvedev should find his way into the semis.
Pick: Medvedev in 2