Matteo Berrettini will make his 2026 Rome Masters debut against Alexei Popyrin in the first round on Thursday. Terence Atmane faces recent Aix-en-Provence Challenger runner-up Zizou Bergs.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Alexei Popyrin
Matteo Berrettini is ranked 100th in the world, but he is much better than his ranking suggests. The slide from the top 100 to 100 is marked with a chronic series of injuries that have followed the popular Italian for the last three years. Berrettini is actually an accomplished clay-court player, although he is better known for his prowess on grass. He won three clay-court titles in 2024 and recently managed to double-bagel Daniil Medvedev in Monte-Carlo before bowing out in the round of 16 to Joao Fonseca.
Berrettini’s first-round opponent at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Alexei Popyrin, has endured a diabolical first half of the year. He is 4-11 and has yet to win a match on European clay this season.
Cheryl pick: Berrettini in 2
Ricky pick: Berrettini in 2
Zizou Bergs vs. Terence Atmane
This could end up being one of the more compelling matches on the first-round docket in Rome. Terence Atmane made a nice run to the round of 16 in Miami in March. His game, with his big lefty serve, will probably end up translating best to hard courts — but his current (admittedly limited) professional match record is better on clay than it is on hards. Atmane is ranked 51st in the world.
The Frenchman’s first-opponent is Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. He is ranked a career-high 39th in the world. Bergs just made the final of the Aix-en-Provence Challenger last week, so he is playing well on clay. I’m giving the nod to Bergs in this one, although it also wouldn’t surprise me to see Atmane advance.
Cheryl pick: Bergs in 3
Ricky pick: Atmane in 3