Second-round competition at the Rome Masters wraps up on Saturday, when Italy’s own Flavio Cobolli takes the court against Terence Atmane. Felix Auger-Aliassime kicks off his fortnight against Mariano Navone.
(10) Flavio Cobolli vs. Terence Atmane
Cobolli is obviously overshadowed at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia by Jannik Sinner and even by Lorenzo Musetti, but he is another Italian who is capable of making a deep run. The world No. 12 has already played in two finals this year, lifting the trophy in Acapulco before finishing runner-up on the clay courts of Munich. Cobolli maintained momentum in Madrid, where he advanced to the quarterfinals.
Up first for the 10th seed on Saturday is a third showdown against Atmane, with the head-to-head series tied at 1-1. Atmane survived in a third-set tiebreaker during his improbable run to the 2025 Cincinnati Master semis before Cobolli prevailed 7-5, 6-4 a few months ago in Delray Beach. The 51st-ranked Frenchman is also playing well right now; he reached the fourth round in Miami, the third round in Madrid, and defeated Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday. This should be a good one, but the edge goes to Cobolli in front of the Foro Italico faithful.
Pick: Cobolli in 3
(4) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Mariano Navone
Auger-Aliassime and Navone will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Saturday. Their only previous meeting came last spring on the red clay of Munich, where Navone pulled off a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) upset. The 44th-ranked Argentine is almost always dangerous on the slow stuff, and this matchup is certainly no exception. Navone’s clay-court swing includes a title in Bucharest, and he continued his fine form with a 6-4, 6-2 rout of Denis Shapovalov on Thursday.
Although Auger-Aliassime is decent on clay, the surface is by no means as good for his game as indoor hard court. Not too surprisingly, the fifth-ranked Canadian has cooled off in a big way since the February swing. He is a modest 4-4 in his last eight matches dating back to an Indian Wells fourth-round loss to Arthur Fils. With Navone having already adjusted to the conditions by winning in round one, there is no reason why he can’t upset Auger-Aliassime for the second time.
Pick: Navone in 3