It will be an action-packed day on Sunday in Rome, where the bottom half takes the court. Crowd favorite Lorenzo Musetti will battle Francisco Cerundolo and Alexander Bublik will take on Learner Tien.
(8) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (25) Francisco Cerundolo
It’s currently the Golden Age of Italian tennis, which makes the Internazionali BNL d’Italia even more interesting than usual. While Jannik Sinner understandably takes center stage, Lorenzo Musetti’s contributions cannot be ignored. He posted a tidy, straight-set win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round and he goes into Sunday as a firm favorite, even over a quality clay court opponent like Francisco Cerundolo.
With Musetti playing in front of an appreciative home crowd and given his solid performance already this week, look for the No. 8 seed to make his way to the round of 16.
Cheryl pick: Musetti in 3
Ricky pick: Musetti in 2
(9) Alexander Bublik vs. (19) Learner Tien
Alexander Bublik has been inconsistent on European clay this season. He kicked off his spring with a run to the quarters in Monte-Carlo but didn’t win a single match in Munich and Madrid. The Kazakh appeared to be back on track, however, in his second-round rout of Sebastian Baez.
Bublik’s opponent should present a sterner test than Baez did. Tien was also dominant in his second-round match against Damir Dzumhur, but he is largely inexperienced with clay-court play. Coming into this event, Tien had exactly two total career ATP-level wins on the dirt. The American will likely need more hardening on this surface before he beats a player of Bublik’s caliber.
Cheryl pick: Bublik in 2
Ricky pick: Bublik in 2