Lorenzo Musetti left the Foro Italico court in tears after a gruelling straight-sets survival against Francisco Cerundolo, a victory that meant everything after several difficult months but came at a cost - visible pain in his left thigh raises serious questions about how deep he can go in his home tournament. Elsewhere, Dino Prizmic proved his Djokovic upset was no fluke by dismantling Ugo Humbert to reach his first Masters 1000 round of 16, and Rafael Jodar continued his extraordinary clay swing by fighting back from 1-3 down in the decider to silence the hostile Roman crowd against Matteo Arnaldi. Alexander Zverev dispatched Blockx for the second time in nine days to quietly advance, while Luciano Darderi produced the comeback of the day with nine consecutive games to overturn Tommy Paul and reach the round of 16 at Masters level for the first time. Casper Ruud extended his clay momentum with a clinical dismissal of Lehecka, setting up a tantalising clash with the hobbled Musetti. Monday's third round completion brings Sinner chasing his 25th straight win, Medvedev's delayed Rome debut against qualifier Llamas Ruiz, and Rublev facing Davidovich Fokina.
Musetti survives gruelling Cerundolo battle in tears
It looked like the most unpredictable match of the day on paper, and it fully delivered on that expectation. Despite the straight-sets scoreline, Lorenzo Musetti had to battle through a complicated and physically demanding contest against Francisco Cerundolo to keep his Rome campaign alive. The Italian struggled to find rhythm early on and spent much of the opening stages absorbing the weight of Cerundolo's forehand, which dictated play for long stretches of the match. Musetti, however, managed to raise his level when it mattered most, showing resilience and composure in the key moments of both sets. Cerundolo did the opposite. The Argentine repeatedly lost control at crucial stages, mixing unforced errors with visible mental frustration, especially in the first set where he failed to close after serving at 5-3. The home favourite eventually survived behind a more solid serving performance and greater efficiency under pressure, saving 70% of break points faced while converting four breaks of his own. Emotionally drained by the end of the match, Musetti left the court in tears, likely due both to the significance of the result after several difficult months and to the pain in his left thigh, an issue that visibly affected him throughout the contest and will now become a major question mark for the rest of his tournament.
Zverev dispatches Blockx in Madrid semifinal rematch
Only nine days after their semifinal clash in Madrid, Alexander Blockx had an immediate chance for revenge against Alexander Zverev, but the result ended up being exactly the same. Another straight-sets win for the German, and if anything an even more convincing one than last week. Zverev conceded just five games and for long stretches the feeling was that of a tennis lesson delivered by one of the most established players on tour to a rising talent still learning how to survive consistently at this level. For Blockx, however, this remains another valuable experience in what has already been a breakthrough period over the last few months. The 21-year-old Belgian has started to establish himself on the main tour and continues to show signs that he belongs in big events, even if the gap against the elite is still evident in matches like this one. Zverev, two-time champion in Rome, meanwhile, keeps doing exactly what he has done throughout most of the clay season: dismantling opponents efficiently and advancing through the draw without spending too much physical or emotional energy. The lingering question, however, remains the same. The German continues to reach the latter stages of major tournaments with consistency, but too often his runs have ended abruptly whenever Jannik Sinner has stood on the other side of the net. The statistics reflected the one-sided nature of the contest. Zverev landed 77% of first serves and won 73% of those points, while also dominating behind his second serve with an impressive 67% success rate. Blockx struggled to make any impact on return games, converting none of his break opportunities and winning just 33% of points against Zverev's second serve. Overall, the German controlled both the service patterns and the baseline exchanges, finishing with 60 total points won against the Belgian's 42 and putting together several extended runs of consecutive games that completely removed any tension from the match.
Jodar silences Roman crowd to continue breakthrough run
Rafael Jodar continued his remarkable rise with a hard-fought 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Matteo Arnaldi, backing up his quarterfinal run in Madrid with a place in the Rome round of 16. The 19-year-old Spaniard was imperious in the opening set, stripping Arnaldi of rhythm and breathing space with relentless depth. But the match turned sharply in the second - Jodar lost his way from the start as Arnaldi, battling through a persistent foot injury that has required him to completely change his footwork, lifted his level with the Central Court crowd behind him. The decider looked like it could slip away when Jodar fell behind 1-3 with the hostile Roman atmosphere building against him, but the teenager showed the composure that has impressed observers throughout this clay swing, winning five of the last six games to close it out 6-3. His ability to grind out wins when not at his best - playing at perhaps a six out of ten - and to handle a partisan crowd at just 19 marks him as a player with serious mental tools beyond his years. The win sets up an intriguing clash with Learner Tien, a matchup between two teenagers where Jodar's superior clay court experience could prove the difference.
Ruud extends clay momentum with clinical Lehecka dismissal
Casper Ruud opened play of the day with a composed straight-sets win over Jiri Lehecka, in a match that looked far more competitive on paper than it ended up being on the clay of the BNP Paribas Arena. The Norwegian controlled the rhythm for most of the afternoon and only had to deal with a brief reaction from Lehecka after the Czech player earned an early counter-break in the second set. From that point on, however, Ruud quickly re-established control and never truly allowed the contest to become complicated. Lehecka will therefore have to wait for his first career win over the world No. 25, with the head-to-head now standing at 3-0 in Ruud's favour. More importantly for the Norwegian, the performance confirmed the steady growth he has shown throughout the clay swing. After reaching the Round of 16 in Monte Carlo and the quarterfinals in Madrid, Ruud continues to build momentum in Rome as well, a tournament where he has already made three semifinals in his career. Statistically, the gap was clear. Ruud won 81% of points behind his first serve and dominated the baseline exchanges, collecting 64 total points against Lehecka's 45. His ability to attack the Czech second serve proved decisive, winning 57% of return points in those situations while converting two breaks overall. Even when the first serve percentage stayed relatively close between the two players, Ruud was significantly more efficient in both service games and extended rallies. The challenge now becomes considerably tougher. Waiting for him in the Round of 16 is Lorenzo Musetti, who may not be at his physical best but will undoubtedly be fuelled by the energy of the home crowd in Rome.
Prizmic backs up Djokovic upset to reach first Masters 1000 R16
The dream week continues for 21-year-old Dino Prizmic. After defeating his idol Novak Djokovic in the previous round, the Croatian backed it up with another impressive performance, taking advantage of a mistake-filled display from Ugo Humbert to reach the Round of 16 in Rome, the first time in a Masters 1000. Humbert tried to react in the second set and managed to bring the crowd into the match, but it was not enough against the light and fearless tennis of the world No. 79. Prizmic was particularly effective behind his serve, winning 84% of points on his first delivery while consistently punishing Humbert's weaker second serve, taking 65% of those return points. The Frenchman never truly found rhythm from the baseline and finished the match without converting a single break point opportunity.
Darderi completes stunning nine-game turnaround against Paul
For more than an hour it looked like a one-sided affair, with Tommy Paul's forehand dictating the rhythm and forcing Luciano Darderi into constant defensive positions, eventually leaving the Italian-born Argentine a set down and trailing 3-1 in the second. From that moment on, however, the match completely flipped, as Darderi produced a stunning turnaround, winning nine consecutive games to seize control of the encounter and ultimately complete the comeback. The world No. 20 secured a breakthrough win, reaching the Round of 16 in a Masters-level event for the first time in his career, in a match that will be remembered as much for its momentum swing as for its outcome. Paul, meanwhile, will be left with frustration, as his collapse after a dominant opening hour once again highlighted the inconsistency that has occasionally interrupted his rise, despite the clear technical level that still points towards a potential top-10 future. Darderi, on the other hand, once again showed his trademark fighting spirit, compensating for technical limitations against higher-ranked opponents with resilience and competitive toughness. The head-to-head now stands at 2-1 in favour of the American, but this time it is the Italian-Argentine who takes the biggest step forward.
Tien and Khachanov complete afternoon comebacks
Double comeback in the Roman afternoon, with Karen Khachanov overturning an initial 5-7 loss against Botic Van de Zandschulp thanks to a double 6-4, built mainly on a solid second set and over 70% of first serves during the decider, which earned him a place in the Round of 16 alongside Dino Prizmic. The same story, but against an even higher-ranked opponent, followed a few hours later for Learner Tien, who managed to come back against world No. 11 Alexander Bublik. The 20-year-old stayed composed after dropping the first set and took advantage of a clear drop in the Kazakh's service level, reaching his first-ever Rome Round of 16 with a key stat of winning 59% of points on Bublik's second serve.
Monday preview
Third round completes on Monday in top half of the draw which got quite reshaped on Saturday with the elimination of names like Ben Shelton or Felix Auger Aliassime. The Italian fans will cheer on four of their representatives including the obvious favorite Jannik Sinner, who looks forward 25th consecutive match victory against Alexei Popyrin - the Aussie ranked 60th in ATP list pulled an upset over Jakub Mensik in three sets in previous round. Flavio Cobolli looks like second best performer on clay in this half, facing semifinalist of ATP 500 Houston - Thiago Agustin Tirante. The qualifier Andrea Pellegrino has capitalized on bad luck of Arthur Fils who withdrew after four games of their match on Saturday, feeling the pain from reccuring back injury. Pellegrino, ranked 155th - faces a real challenge from Frances Tiafoe who has a record of 8-4 on clay in main draw matches during ranking period. Mattia Bellucci reached out third round after defeating two Argentinians in previous matches and plays against Martin Landaluce - the lucky loser from qualies who started main draw play from second round and defeated Marin Cilic in straight sets.
J. Sinner (1) vs. A. Popyrin match preview
F. Cobolli (10) vs. T. A. Tirante match preview
F. Tiafoe (20) vs. A. Pellegrino (Q) match preview
M. Bellucci vs. M. Landaluce (LL) match preview
Andrey Rublev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina set up an intriguing clash on paper - the Spaniard will try to overcome Rublev's dominance in their previous meetings as the world number 14 has won 6 out of 7 matches played between both. The Russian has also much better record on clay in the rolling year which is 12-6 including the recent run into final in ATP 500 Barcelona. Davidovich Fokina won just half of 8 main draw matches played on clay in last 52 weeks.
A. Rublev (12) vs. A. Davidovich Fokina (21) match preview
Daniil Medvedev was about to set up the sparkling clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas in second round, but the Greek got defeated by Tomas Machac who has ultimately withdrew before second round due to injury issues. Medvedev is yet to put a feet on Foro Italico's clay in this edition and will play his kick-off match against the qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz who played four consecutive three-setters - two in qualifiers and two in main draw including latest victory over 28th seed Corentin Moutet.
D. Medvedev (7) vs. P. Llamas Ruiz (Q) match preview
Two players who performed the biggest upsets in top half so far, do also compete on Monday. Mariano Navone faces Hamad Medjedovic after defeating struggling third seed Felix Auger Aliassime. The Argentinian proves his good form after winning maiden ATP title in Bucharest one month ago. 34 years-old Nikoloz Basilashvili has reminded about himself eliminating Ben Shelton after commanding performance. The player from Georgia faces another American - Brandon Nakashima in third round.