After the incessant drizzle of the previous evening, a sense of normality returned to the Foro Italico on Sunday as coats and umbrellas were discarded and locals once again basked in the warm Mediterranean sunshine. But it wasn’t quite business as usual and, true to form, it was Daniil Medvedev who cut against the grain.
Five times an ATP Masters champion but without a win in three previous visits to Rome, Medvedev finally broke his duck with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Emil Ruusuvuori that was more complicated than the score-line would suggest.
While Medvedev received a bye into the second round by virtue of his seeded status, Ruusuvuori, ranked 40 places below the Russian world No 3 but accomplished enough to push Carlos Alcaraz to a deciding set at the Madrid Open last month, toiled for three gruelling hours to make his way past Ugo Humbert. Yet whatever the Finn lacked in freshness he more than made up for in match sharpness and familiarity with the slower conditions in Rome and, when the 24-year-old raced into an early lead, it looked as though Medvedev’s debut in Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli would be an unhappy one.
With three games gone, Medvedev had made nine unforced errors to his opponent’s one and was yet to make an impression on the scoreboard. Tellingly, however, Ruusuvuori was doing nothing particularly out of the ordinary. He produced some nice variations of pace and height but, on a surface where Medvedev is never entirely at home, Ruusuvuori’s most telling weapon was an ability to keep the ball in play. That, of course, is traditionally the Russian’s forte, and slowly he began to find his groove, applying more topspin to his forehand and beginning to move more comfortably.
“It was a little bit [of a relief],” said Medvedev of his maiden win beneath the iconic Carrara marbles. “We can talk about all of the matches I lost here, they were different. One of them, the first one [against Robin Haase of the Netherlands in 2018], I feel like I should have won.
“But it [what it is], every time I come to a tournament I know that I can play well, so I’m happy to finally get the win here in Rome.”
It might have been a different story had Ruusuvuori not narrowly failed to angle away a makeable drop volley that would have given him a break point for 4-0. Instead, Medvedev held and dropped just two more points as he rattled through the next two games to level the set. With the rallies lengthening and Ruusuvuori’s mistakes mounting, the momentum shifted irretrievably. Ruusuvuori would end the contest with 32 unforced errors, Medvedev with a tour-leading 32nd match win of the season.
“I want to win as many matches as possible, I know it can be a little bit trickier for me on clay, but honestly this year I’m playing really well,” said Medvedev, who will face Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles in round three.
“The matches I lost, I lost against great opponents who played actually just better than me, and not much to say. I’m doing my absolute best, I’m playing good, I already beat a lot of good opponents. I beat Emil last week [in Madrid], one of only two players who won a set against Carlos [Alcaraz], so I’m feeling great and I’m just looking forward to try to play my best tennis till the end of the clay season.”
Novak Djokovic also weathered some difficult moments as he claimed a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion, led by a set and 4-2 before Dimitrov reeled off four consecutive games to level the match. The situation briefly rekindled memories of Djokovic’s loss to Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo, where the Serb led by an identical score-line. There was to be no repeat on this occasion, however, a double fault costing Dimitrov an immediate break after Djokovic had set up the opportunity with a beautifully constructed rally.
“Playing Grigor is always a challenge,” said Djokovic, who will face Cameron Norrie, the British 13th seed, in round three.
“I know that he’s going to deliver his quality. He is one of the most talented players on the tour, without a doubt, for many years.
“Towards the end of the second set, he showed what he’s capable of. He started to raise the level. He obviously had a good support of the crowd. The momentum shifted to his side. I was set and 4-2 up, had chances to close out the match, but I didn’t.
“I was very pleased that I managed to find again the right rhythm in the first game of the third set right away. That was super important to make a break early and kind of hold things under control.”
Norrie was detained in similar fashion, finding himself drawn into a dogfight after leading Marton Fucsovics, the world No 92, by a set and 5-1. The Hungarian saved six match points before Norrie, the British 13th seed, prevailed 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).