The Rome Masters heats up on Tuesday as the men take the court for the round of 16, with Lorenzo Musetti taking on dangerous clay-courter Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev battling Thiago Agustin Tirante.
(8) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (23) Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud isn’t exactly the player you want to look across the net at on a clay court — and certainly not when there are concerns about your fitness, as is the case for Lorenzo Musetti. The Norwegian occasionally comes up short on the other surfaces — but not so much on the red stuff. Ruud has pocketed 12 titles on clay, made the final of Roland Garros two years in a row, and comes into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia following a quarterfinal showing in Madrid.
The real story here, though, is the fact that Musetti had some physical issues in his third-round match against Francisco Cerundolo — including cramping and leg pain. There is little to suggest that Musetti, who is typically a solid clay-courter, is physically fit enough to handle a player of Ruud’s caliber. Look for the Italian to exit.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 2
Ricky pick: Ruud in 2
(7) Daniil Medvedev vs. Thiago Agustin Tirante
Each match that Daniil Medvedev plays on clay is a coin flip. He is capable of winning entire, legitimate tournaments on dirt (as he did in Rome back in 2023) — and he is equally as likely to crash out in the first round (as he did two weeks later at Roland Garros that same year). Medvedev is the world No. 9 playing the world No. 69 — but in no way does that make him an obvious favorite.
Thiago Agustin Tirante is 25 years old and just now coming into his own. He made the semis in Houston and won a couple of matches in Madrid, including an upset of Tommy Paul in the second round. The Argentine comes into the fourth round hot. On Monday he upset Flavio Cobolli, who was playing at home in front of a boisterous crowd. Medvedev, meanwhile, struggled against Pablo Llamas Ruiz — a 139th-ranked qualifier. Medvedev clearly has a chance to win this match, but I’m giving the nod to Tirante.
Cheryl pick: Tirante in 2
Ricky pick: Tirante in 3
