Rome - 09/05

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Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000 and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Saturday, May 9th, in Rome it's 08:30 and it's 15 degrees. Okay, let's go.

On today's breakfast menu

• 🇭🇷 Prizmic ousts Djokovic in the second round: the Foro is left without Nole
• 🇮🇹 Arnaldi beats De Minaur in three sets, Musetti dispatches Mpetshi Perricard
• 🇩🇪 Zverev survives the German derby against Altmaier
• 🇵🇱 Świątek pushed to a deciding set by McNally, struggles but escapes
• 🇰🇿 Rybakina sweeps Sakkari aside, into the third round with authority
• 🇮🇹 Sinner makes his debut tonight against Ofner on Centrale

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇭🇷 Prizmic Sends Djokovic Home

Dino Prizmic beat Novak Djokovic 2-6 6-2 6-4 in the second round, knocking the Serb out of the Foro on his debut after a first-round bye. The Croatian, who had already pushed Nole into a battle of more than four hours in Melbourne, found in Rome the win that had been left hanging earlier in the year, capitalising on a Djokovic who looked physically uncomfortable from the second set onwards, with stomach problems and a few sparks of frustration with the crowd. More than the defeat itself, what stands out is the ease with which Prizmic handled the decisive moments of the third set, like a player who already knows how to live in matches like these. Nole closed with a wave to the Centrale that, read carefully, felt more like a farewell than a see-you-soon.

🇮🇹 Arnaldi Survives De Minaur In Three Hours

Matteo Arnaldi eliminated Alex de Minaur 4-6 7-6 6-4 after almost three hours of battle on Centrale, in a match that the numbers alone can't quite tell. The Sanremo native, ranked 106 in the world, came into this week with few certainties, and perhaps that's why he managed to play with a loose arm in the moments that counted, especially in a second set closed at the tiebreak when the match seemed already decided. Matches like this usually count for more than the single win: they help you understand where you really stand, after months in which the results have told a different story. In the third round he'll face a tougher opponent on paper, but for now the Foro has given him back a week that was on the verge of becoming yet another.

🇮🇹 Musetti Dispatches Mpetshi Perricard

Lorenzo Musetti got past Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard with a double 6-4 in just under an hour and a half, neutralising one of the toughest serves on the tour without ever really being scared. The Tuscan found the decisive break at the end of the first set, and in the second he struck thanks to a confused service game from the Frenchman. More than the break itself, what counts is how Musetti managed his own service games: zero break points conceded, a sign that the confidence of the moment is also translating into solidity. In the third round he'll face Cerundolo, and that will be a whole different story.

🇩🇪 Zverev Holds On In The German Derby

Alexander Zverev beat Daniel Altmaier 7-5 6-3 in one hour and forty-four minutes, but the score does a poor job of summarising a first set in which the world number three came seriously close to going behind. Altmaier, fresh off his first-round win, stayed glued to the match all the way to the twelfth game, forcing Zverev to play every point on his serve with no margin for error. In the second set, once the knot was untied, something changed in the rhythm of the rallies, and Altmaier could no longer find the answers he had managed half an hour earlier. It's the kind of win Rome has gotten used to seeing him build: just hard enough, never brilliant.

🇵🇱 Świątek Pushed By McNally Escapes In The Third

Iga Świątek beat Caty McNally 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3, but the real story of the match is in the middle set, where the American found a way to put pressure on the Pole's serve precisely in the key moments. The first set hinted at the usual one-way affair, then McNally raised the trajectory of her returns and Świątek began making less clean choices, eventually losing the tiebreak. In the third set she went back to winning four games in a row to close it out, and that says a lot about her ability to find the version she needs in the moments that matter, even when the day isn't going as it should. Rome, for those who have already won here in the past, is always a tournament where feelings weigh at least as much as the statistics.

🇰🇿 Rybakina Sweeps Sakkari Aside

Elena Rybakina got past Maria Sakkari with authority in their match at the Foro, building her advantage on serve from the first set and then managing the score without leaving any openings. The number that best tells the story of the match is the Kazakh's serving performance compared to the Greek's in the key moments, especially effective on the break points of the first set. Sakkari tried to extend the rallies to test Rybakina's forehand, but the plan didn't work because Rybakina, right now, seems to be reading the court with a clarity that hasn't been seen for months. She'll arrive in the third round even hotter, and in the bottom half of the draw she's becoming an uncomfortable name to face.

WHAT HAPPENS TODAY:

• 🇮🇹 Sinner vs Ofner - The world number one's debut in Rome, first match of the night session on Centrale from 19:00. Ofner is more of an unknown emotionally than technically: the Foro on debut weighs differently.
• 🇮🇹 Paolini vs Mertens - Third round for the defending champion, not before 13:00 on Centrale. Mertens on clay is an awkward opponent, the kind who doesn't miss and forces you to build every single point.
• 🇧🇾 Sabalenka vs Cirstea - Closes the day session on Centrale. The world number one against a player who has always known how to find difficult matches in Rome.
• 🇷🇺 Medvedev vs Machac - Opens the Centrale schedule at 11:00. The Czech comes in off a win over Tsitsipas, Medvedev on clay remains a hard variable to pin down.
• 🇨🇭 Bencic vs Kalinskaya - Second night match on Centrale, not before 20:30. An open prediction, the kind that often stretches the Roman night.

Further reading

• ATP Rome, Arnaldi reborn at the Foro: De Minaur beaten in three hours of battle
• Djokovic eliminated from the Rome Internazionali, defeated by Prizmic in three sets
• Internazionali d'Italia 2026: Musetti starts well, Mpetshi Perricard overcome
• Rome Open WTA Day Four Round-Up: Rybakina dominates Sakkari, Swiatek survives scare
• Saturday May 9th order of play at Rome tournament: Sinner appears alongside four Spaniards
• Internazionali Roma 2026: today's results and live news

Have a good breakfast and a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast