Defending Rome Title Is A Very Tall Order For Zverev

Alexander Zverev, Rome
Alexander Zverev (photo: FITP)

ROME/WASHINGTON, May 8, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Defending Internazionali BNL d’Italia champion Alexander Zverev bids to become the first man to successfully defend his Rome title since Rafael Nadal in 2018-19 – and to join Nadal (10), Novak Djokovic (6) and Thomas Muster (3) as the only men to win three or more titles at Foro Italico in the Open Era.

It’s a very tall order in store for the 6-foot-6-inch German from Hamburg to undertake as he goes after his second ATP Tour on clay this spring after his recent success at the BMW Open by bitpanda in Munich, in which he strung together a series of impressive wins over Alexandre Muller, Daniel Altmaier, Tallon Griekspoor, Fabian Marozsan and Ben Shelton.

In his most recent event, at the Mutua Madrid Open, Zverev started well against Roberto Bautista Agut, but struggled to pull out a three-set victory over No. 28 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Then, he fell in straight sets to No. 20 seed Francisco Cerundolo in the round of 16.

At stake for the World No. 2 in the Eternal City is this: Zverev needs to defend his title in order to keep his Top-2 seeding for Roland-Garros later this month – and he’s yet to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal so far this year. At Indian Wells, he went out in his opening-round match against Griekspoor, then lost in the round of 16 at Miami against No. 17 seed Arthur Fils in three sets. He followed that with an opening-round loss in three sets to Matteo Berrettini at Monte-Carlo.

Zverev, who won his first Rome title in 2017 and second one seven years later, enters his opening-round match on Friday in Rome against Camilo Ugo Carabelli. The 25-year-old Argentine is ranked 60th and has compiled a win-loss record of 21-11 at all levels this season.

“It’s always nice to come back knowing that you won a tournament,” Zverev said during his pre-tournament news conference earlier this week. “Yeah, I feel confident here. I really like the place, so I hope I can play as well as last year and win a lot of matches.

Last year, Zverev won six straight matches – five of them in straight sets – and put away victories over Aleksandar Vukic, Luciano Darderi, Nuno Borges, Taylor Fritz, Alejandro Tabilo and Nicolas Jarry.

One player whom Zverev doesn’t want to have to play again is Cerundolo, who won in Madrid 7-5, 6-3. In Rome, they are in opposite halves of the draw, so they could only meet in the final.

“I mean, I think outside of the top guys, like Jannik and Carlos, he’s probably the most difficult for me to play,” Zverev said. “Haven’t really figured out how to play him. Haven’t really figured out a way to beat him, which shows on the record.

“But all in all, I thought my level of tennis was okay [in Madrid]. I thought I played three pretty good matches there. Also winning Munich the week before. … I feel like my tennis is at the right spot right now.”

Zverev was asked by a reporter if it plays on his mind, playing Cerundolo – and losing three straight times, including the past two years in Madrid.

“I know who’s comfortable and who’s uncomfortable for me,” Zverev admitted. “There’s top guys, Top-10 in the world, I’m not going to mention names, but who are very comfortable for me, for example. Then there are guys who are not Top-10, maybe outside, who are less comfortable.

“That’s how it goes. It’s why tennis is such an interesting sport. It’s all about matchups, it is all about how somebody fits your game style. That’s why the results are so unpredictable sometimes.

“But all in all, my main focus is for the next two weeks.”

It all starts on Friday for Zverev against Ugo Carabelli, who was impressive in defeating 98th-ranked lucky loser Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain in three sets, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. It will be a first-time meeting between the German No. 1 and Argentine No. 4.

While Zverev’s 2025 season has seen its highs and lows – and setbacks, too – he still has goals he would like to achieve, such as being ranked No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. This week, he’s No. 2 behind No. 1 Jannik Sinner and ahead of No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz. At the end of his news conference, Zverev was asked about his quest to reach World No. 1.

“World No. 1? It would be nice,” Zverev said. “I have not been there. I believe I will, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m there [at No. 2] because I won tournaments. I there because I have results. The ranking system doesn’t lie. You get points for winning matches, you get points for winning titles.”

Between the end of the Australian Open in January and Munich last month, Zverev compiled a disappointing 6-6 win-loss record. “I know I didn’t play up to what I wanted to,” he said. “But neither did Carlos [Alcaraz], then he won Monte-Carlo.

“Do you think Novak [Djokovic] is happy with his results? Do you think Carlos is happy with his results? I’m not happy with my results. At the end of the day in big matches, big moments, I still believe the top players will rise, and I still believe that I am going to find my tennis for the biggest tournaments.”

Fognini says this will be his last Italian Open

On Wednesday, Italy’s Fabio Fognini announced that this year’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome – his 18th appearance – would be his last one in the Eternal City.

The 37-year-old, 107th-ranked Italian was given a wild card into this year’s main-draw event. He was featured Thursday night on Campo Centrale against No. 57 Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain, with the winner to move on to a second-round match against No. 29 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy.

“Since I was a kid, I was coming here to say, ‘Oh let’s see, let’s hope to play one day’. And now I’m in the opposite [time of my career]. I think it’s a good time to say goodbye in this beautiful city, special city,” the former World No. 9 Fognini said during an interview with Tennis Channel. “But yes, I’m here with a smile on my face because I know that I had a really difficult time during my 15, I don’t know, 16, 20 years in Rome and I would like to enjoy the last lap.”

As it happened, it wasn’t mean to be for Fognini, who lost to Fearnley, 6-2, 6-3, in an hour and 20 minutes. The British No. 2 in his first Rome appearance hit 13 winners, converted five of eight break points and took advantage of the Italian’s 25 unforced errors. Fearnley outpointed Fognini 61-47.

The Sanremo native, who turned pro in 2004, dropped to 0-4 in tour-level matches this year and 3-9 in all competitions. Two of his three wins this season came during qualifying for the Mutua Madrid Open two weeks ago. His last tour-level main-draw win came last October.

Fognini, who made his Rome debut at the clay-court event in 2006, now holds a 16-18 record at Foro Italico, with his best performance coming in a quarterfinal run in 2018.

Around Foro Italico

No. 37 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy, a quarterfinalist last week in Madrid, became the second Italian player to lose on Campo Centrale in two days. While the fans on the main show court tried to do their best to will their young Italian hero to victory, it was No. 56 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain who prevailed, 6-4, 6-3, in an hour and 54 minutes to move into the second round against No. 11 seed Tommy Paul of the United States on Saturday.

Bautista Agut, who was playing in his 700th tour-level match of his career (422-278) and making his eighth main-draw appearance in Rome 11 years after debuting in 2014, overcame 27 unforced errors to hit 20 winners and he converted four of eight break points. Arnaldi countered with 21 winners but made 31 unforced errors. Bautista Agut outpointed Arnaldi 74-57, winning the match on his third match-point opportunity.

For the Spaniard, wins have been tough to come by during the European spring clay-court season. He lost in the second round at Monte-Carlo and followed it with a first-round defeat at Munich. In Madrid, after defeating Jaume Munar, he fell to Alexander Zverev in the next round. So, it’s understandable that beating a quality opponent like Arnaldi was satisfying.

“The win always feels good for me,” said Bautista Agut, who improved to 5-11 (8-7 lifetime in Rome). “It’s always a good chance to enjoy, to play in a tournament like this – a nice atmosphere – and I tried to enjoy it even though I was playing in front of his home crowd. I think I played a very good match, very serious and focused. I have to be happy.”

Bautista Agut had an opportunity to close out the match at 5-1 with a pair of match points and wasn’t able to do so. On his next service game, from 30-all, he won the final two points of the match. “It’s never easy to close out a match even having new balls,” he said during his on-court interview. “I played good serves. In tennis, anything can happen – and you have to be ready. It was nice to be able to close at 5-3.”

At age 37, Bautista Agut is among the oldest players in the 96-player draw. He said he appreciates the opportunity to still be competitive on the ATP Tour. “You never know when it’s going to be your last match on Tour or in a tournament like this. I’m trying to enjoy it and play my best tennis. I’ve had a wonderful career – and I’m still enjoying competing.”

• Joao Fonseca‘s first meeting against No. 61 Fabian Marozsan of Hungary is one he won’t soon forget. That’s because the 65th-ranked #NextGenATP rising star from Brazil lost his first-round match that in hindsight was winnable. Instead, the 25-year-old Hungarian dropped just five points on his serve in winning an impressive opening set, then withstood the pro-Fonseca crowd and the talented 19-year-old from Rio de Janeiro in the second set to win 6-3, 7-6 (4), in an hour and 27 minutes on the brand-new Supertennis Arena, which is constructed on the infield of an athletics running track.

Fonseca hit a series of stunning winners in the second set and drew himself into a second-set tie-break that ultimately was won by Marozsan, who was the steadier – and calmer – player.

“It’s amazing to play here in the new stadium and the crowd was amazing today as it always is in Italy,” Marozsan said in his on-court interview. “I really like to play here.”

Marozsan finished with 19 winners – 10 of them from his forehand side – and won 75 percent of his first-serve points. He converted two of three break points and outpointed Fonseca 76-59. The win advanced him to face No. 16 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia on Saturday.

During his on-court interview, Marozsan spoke of his fond memories of Rome, which includes his triumph over Carlos Alcaraz in his 2023 debut. “This is a special event for me,” he said. “This is one of my favorite tournaments. Rome was the first place I played in an ATP main draw, and of course, I beat Carlos here.”

Marozsan also said he was pleased with his win over Fonseca. “I’m really happy to beat [Joao] because he great player. He has a big future, for sure.”

While Marozsan improved to 12-11, which includes a semifinal finish at Munich last month, Fonseca has struggled on European clay of late after winning his first ATP Tour-level title at Buenos Aires earlier this season. He lost in the second round at Madrid, then fell in the opening round at Estoril in an ATP Challenger 175 event last week.

Among the other results from Thursday’s first-round ATP matches – all involving non-seeded players:

• No. 40 Nuno Borges of Portugal was upset by 120th-ranked Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, in two hours and 23 minutes, on Court 1. In the longest match of the day, Seyboth Wild hit 32 winners – including nine aces – and saved five of six break points he faced from the Portuguese No. 1. Seyboth Wild outpointed his opponent 99-88.

• No. 45 Marcos Giron of the United States eliminated No. 54 Gabriel Diallo of Canada, a quarterfinalist last week in Madrid, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in one hour, 59 minutes on Court 1. Giron outpointed Diallo 83-81, taking advantage of 42 unforced errors by the Canadian.

• No. 49 Pedro Martinez of Spain defeated No. 68 Mattia Bellucci of Italy, 6-4, 6-2, in 92 minutes on Grand Stand Arena. Martinez converted four of seven break points and outpointed Bellucci 66-51.

• No. 53 Nicolas Jarry of Chile hit 29 winners and outpointed No. 78 Hugo Gaston of France, 80-70 en route to a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win on Pietrangeli in one hour, 51 minutes.

• No. 70 Learner Tien needed five match points to defeat fellow American Reilly Opelka, ranked 94th, 6-4, 7-6 (11), in an hour and 48 minutes on Supertennis Arena. Tien withstood the heavy-hitting Opelka and benefited from 48 unforced errors by the 6-foot-11-inch gentle giant. Tien, who hit 11 winners and converted three of seven break points, outpointed Opelka 82-71.

• No. 79 Aleksandar Vukic of Australia converted three of eight break points in defeating 149th-ranked American qualifier Nicolas Moreno De Alboran, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in 91 minutes on Court 14.

• Lucky loser Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands, ranked 93rd, defeated 97th-ranked qualifier Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, 6-2, 6-4, in an hour and 26 minutes on Court 2 by saving all three break points he faced and outpointing his opponent 70-49.

• No. 99 Mariano Navone of Argentina set up a second-round meeting with World No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner after defeating another Italian, 323rd-ranked wild card Federico Cina, 6-3, 6-3, in 84 minutes on Grand Stand Arena. Navone converted four of four break points and outpointed Cina 61-50 en route to his 11 win of the season.

• Italian wild card Matteo Gigante, ranked 164th, upset No. 75 Arthur Rinderknech of France, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), in two hours and 13 minutes on Supertennis Arena. The 23-year-old Roman saved seven of eight break points and outpointed Rinderknech 97-93. It was his second career win at Foro Italico and Gigante dedicated Thursday’s victory to his grandmother, who died recently.

Thursday’s Rome results

Friday’s Rome order of play

By the numbers

No Italian man has reached Rome final since 1978, with semifinal runs of Filipp Volandri in 2007 and Lorenzo Sonego in 2021 remaining their best efforts since. After advancing to Monte-Carlo final and Madrid semifinal, No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti aims to become first player since Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev in 2022 to reach the semifinals of all thre clay ATP Masters 1000 events in one season.

“Quotable …”

“It was a very, very complicated match, we know each other very well. We are very good friends. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It was a very tough match but I am happy with my performance. I knew I had to be very aggressive to try to put him in dangerous spots. I think I did that very well and I’m happy with that. 

“For me and for all the Italian players, to play here in Rome is a special feeling. It was for me and much more for Flavio, of course, who is from Rome. I really enjoy it here.”

– Wild card Luca Nardi, ranked 95th, who upset No. 34 Flavio Cobolli in an all-Italian battle, 6-3, 6-4, on Grand Stand Arena Thursday afternoon. It was his first Top-50 win on clay.

 

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