Sebastián Báez, Francisco Cerúndolo, Tomás Etcheverry, Mariano Navone, Pedro Cachín and Nadia Podoroska will play the main draw of the Rome Masters 1000.
Through a novel draw held at the emblematic Trevi Fountain, the main men’s and women’s singles draws of the Italian Open, in Romewere formed, a priori, with 6 Argentines, the return to the circuit of Novak Djokovic and the attention paid to Rafael NadalWith views to Roland Garrosin it Masters 1000 Italian.
Although the qualy has already begun, the main draw of the Rome tournament, in the Masters 1000 category for men and WTA 1000 for women, will begin this Tuesday. Six albiceleste rackets are already confirmed: Sebastian Baez (19th), Francisco Cerúndolo (22°), Tomas Etcheverry (28°), Mariano Navone (31°), Pedro Cachin (99°) and Nadia Podoroska (61°).
Báez, Cerúndolo, Etcheverry and Navone, as seeded, will debut directly in the second round. Báez against the Serbian winner Dusan Lajovic (64°) or Italian Lorenzo Sonego (47°). Cerúndolo before an Italian guest: Matteo Gigante (139°) or Giulio Zeppieri (144°). Etcheverry against the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild (61st) or a player from the classification. And Navone against the Italian-Argentine Luciano Darderi (54°) or the Canadian Denis Shapovalov (126th; with protected ranking).
Meanwhile, Cachín will have to play the first round, against the German Jan-Lennard Struff (41°). In the women’s team, Podoroska will debut in the first round against the Spanish Sara Sorribes Tormo (47°). In the qualy, which began today, two Argentines remained Diego Schwartzman (142°; yesterday he announced that he will retire in February 2025, in Buenos Aires) and Facundo Bagnis (119°) and two Argentines, Julia Riera (94°) and Lourdes Carlé (71st), who tomorrow will look for a place in the main draw.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, only in the final
On the brick dust of the Masters 1000 in Rome, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic They would only face each other in a hypothetical final: the drawing of the draw placed them in opposite sectors. The Serbian, No. 1 in the world, will return to the circuit after losing in the Monte Carlo semifinals, last April, against the Norwegian Casper Ruud. Six-time champion in Rome (and another six-time finalist), “Nole” is the first seed and will debut in the second round against the Russian Roman Safiullin (39th) or a qualifying player.
For its part, Rafael Nadal, number 305 in the ATP ranking after an almost blank year in 2023, will face a player from the qualifying phase in the first round. In case of victory, the Spanish tennis player, who won ten times in Rome, the last of them in 2021, could face the Pole Hubert HurkaczNo. 9 in the ranking.
After returning to the circuit in Barcelona after another injury that kept him inactive for three months, the Mallorcan, 38 years old and most likely in his last active season, is trying to regain the rhythm of competition ahead of Roland Garros, his great goal. . He fell in the second round in Barcelona against the Australian Alex de Minaur and in Madrid, last week, he reached the round of 16, where he lost against the Czech Jiri Lehecka.
The Rome tournament, the last big event before Roland Garros (May 26 to June 9), will not be able to count on two of the great stars of the circuit, the Italian Jannik Sinner (N°2) and Spanish Carlos Alcaraz (N°3), who was dropped due to a hip injury in the first case and the second due to discomfort in his forearm.
Source: Ambito
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