Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will make their 2026 Rome debuts during second-round action on Saturday. Medvedev is facing Tomas Machac, while Rublev is going up against Miomir Kecmanovic.
Tomas Machac vs. (7) Daniil Medvedev
These days, you never really know which Medvedev is going to show up. Will it be the one who lifted the Internazionali BNL d’Italia trophy in 2023, or the one who got double-bageled by Matteo Berrettini last month in Monte-Carlo? Chances are good that we will see something in between those two extremes, which was the case in Madrid. The world No. 9 advanced to the fourth round before losing to Flavio Cobolli in a tight three-setter.
It’s a similar story with Medvedev’s second-round opponent on Saturday. Machac is one of the most mercurial players on tour, as he can either bring a top-10 or outside-the-top-100 level to the table on any given day. The world No. 41 started the season hot with a title in Adelaide, but he is just 6-8 in his last 14 matches. This is a much worse matchup for Machac than what he faced in round one against Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom he defeated 6-4, 7-6(4). Medvedev requires the Czech to hit far more balls, so look for the Russian to improve his record to 3-0 in the head-to-head series.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
(12) Andrey Rublev vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Rublev and Kecmanovic will be squaring off for the third time in their careers on Saturday. Both of their previous encounters (both on hard courts) were absolute beatdowns in Rublev’s favor — 6-3, 6-1 at the 2020 Doha tournament and 6-1, 6-2 at the 2023 Miami Masters.
The good news for Kecmanovic is that Rublev is undoubtedly playing worse now than he was at the time of those two meetings. At 14th in the rankings, the 28-year-old Russian is just 15-9 in 2026 and has not defeated anyone in the top 30 this entire season. Of course, Kecmanovic is well outside the top 30 at 70th in the world. The 26-year-old Serb is a dreadful 8-12 on the main tour this season and had been on a five-match losing streak before beating Dalibor Svrcina 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. Given Kecmanovic’s struggles both currently and in this matchup, Rublev should have the edge.
Pick: Rublev in 3