Day Four at the Foro Italico belonged to the underdogs and the home players. While Jannik Sinner looked every bit the World No. 1 with a comfortable straight-sets win, two significant upsets stole the spotlight: Mariano Navone took out fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in two tight tiebreaks, and qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili upset fifth seed Ben Shelton in three sets.
The Italian contingent continued their strong showing, with Flavio Cobolli, Mattia Bellucci, and qualifier Andrea Pellegrino all advancing. Pellegrino benefited from Arthur Fils retiring at 4-0 down in the first set after calling for a medical timeout. I initially thought he was a recurrence of the back problem that derailed his season 12 months ago, but he said in the press that it was the hop.
Other notable results included Martin Landaluce beating Marin Cilic, Thiago Agustin Tirante knocking out Cameron Norrie, and Hamad Medjedovic coming from a set down to defeat Joao Fonseca.
Overall, it was a tough day for the seeded players, with Norrie, Etcheverry, Moutet, and Mensik also exiting in the second round.
Full recap below.
Day Four Italian Open 2026 Round of 64 Results
| Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner (1) | Sebastian Ofner | 6-3 6-4 |
| Andrea Pellegrino (Q) | Arthur Fils (15) | 4-0 RET |
| Andrey Rublev (12) | Miomir Kecmanovic | 6-4 6-4 |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (21) | Cristian Garin (Q) | 7-6(2) 6-4 |
| Brandon Nakashima (30) | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-4 6-0 |
| Nikoloz Basilashvili (Q) | Ben Shelton (5) | 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 |
| Frances Tiafoe (20) | Ignacio Buse | 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 |
| Mariano Navone | Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) | 7-6(4) 7-6(5) |
| Alexei Popyrin | Jakub Mensik (26) | 6-3 2-6 6-4 |
| Mattia Bellucci | Tomas Martin Etcheverry (24) | 5-7 6-2 6-3 |
| Flavio Cobolli (10) | Terence Atmane | 7-6(1) 6-3 |
| Thiago Agustin Tirante | Cameron Norrie (17) | 6-3 7-5 |
| Pablo Llamas Ruiz (Q) | Corentin Moutet (28) | 6-4 3-6 7-6(4) |
| Daniil Medvedev (7) | Tomas Machac | Walkover |
| Hamad Medjedovic | Joao Fonseca (27) | 3-6 6-3 7-6(1) |
| Martin Landaluce (LL) | Marin Cilic | 6-4 6-4 |
Key Match Recap
Jannik Sinner (1) def. Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4
The World No. 1 looked sharp and in control on his Rome debut. Sinner was clinical from the baseline, committed very few errors, and used his depth and power to dominate the Austrian. He extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to 29 matches and moves closer to completing the Career Golden Masters.
A very solid start on home soil and could well be one of the tougher matches he has this week, as Ofner isn’t a bad clay court player.
Mariano Navone def. Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
One of the biggest results of the day. Navone picked up his first-ever Top 10 win by outlasting a physically struggling Auger-Aliassime in two tight tiebreaks. FAA appeared to have a leg issue in the second set and was clearly hampered. Navone stayed steady and seized the opportunity.
Nikoloz Basilashvili (Q) def. Ben Shelton (5) 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3
A big upset and impressive performance from the Georgian. Basilashvili played with excellent intensity and took advantage of 39 unforced errors from Shelton. This is only his second tour-level win of 2026 and his first Top 10 victory since 2025.
Basilashvili can go through periods when he’s on fire, like when he won Qatar and Munich back in 2021, and he’s played himself into form, so I wouldn’t really call it a bad loss for Shelton.
Flavio Cobolli (10) def. Terence Atmane 7-6(1) 6-3
Strong home performance from the Italian No. 2. Cobolli handled the pressure well in the first-set tiebreak and cruised through the second set. He’ll be pleased with how he backed up his strong start to the clay season.
Hamad Medjedovic def. João Fonseca (27) 3-6 6-3 7-6(1)
A dramatic, high-tension clash in SuperTennis Arena. Medjedovic fought back from a set down and looked set to close it out when he broke for 5-4 in the decider and served for the match. However, he made a costly error that handed the initiative back to Fonseca.
The Serbian stayed mentally strong and produced a superb tiebreak, winning it 7-1. The crowd was heavily behind the Fonseca, creating a loud, hostile atmosphere that led Medjedovic to ask the umpire to quiet them so he could serve.
Rabid fans don’t add much to the sport for me, and they go way over the top. Almost behaving like paid agitators. Is Soros buying them tickets?
Highlights
Italian Open 2026 Day 5 Round of 32 Matches
- Alexander Blockx vs Alexander Zverev (2) — Campo Centrale
- Lorenzo Musetti (8) vs Francisco Cerundolo (25) — Campo Centrale
- Matteo Arnaldi (WC) vs Rafael Jodar (32) — Campo Centrale
- Casper Ruud (23) vs Jiri Lehecka (11) — BNP Paribas Arena
- Tommy Paul (16) vs Luciano Darderi (18) — BNP Paribas Arena
- Karen Khachanov (13) vs Botic van de Zandschulp — Supertennis Arena
- Learner Tien (19) vs Alexander Bublik (9) — Supertennis Arena
- Ugo Humbert (31) vs Dino Prizmic (Q) — Pietrangeli