The prestigious Rome Masters, an ATP-1000 event on clay, officially commenced its 2026 edition on May 6th in the Italian capital. The opening day featured a slate of first-round singles matches, setting the stage for the tournament's early drama.
Several matches concluded with decisive outcomes. Hungarian Fabian Marozsan fell to Czech player Vit Kopriva in straight sets, 3-6, 3-6. In another match, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Damir Dzumhur delivered a dominant performance, defeating Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-0. Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli battled through a three-set thriller against Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko, ultimately losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(5-7).
The day also saw its share of upsets and tough losses for seeded or favored players. Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, a top contender, was pushed to three sets by Germany's Yannick Hanfmann but could not secure the win, losing 7-6(7-3), 6-7(2-7), 2-6. Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff had a smoother path, advancing past Argentina's Francisco Comesana with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Local fans had reason to cheer as Italy's Matteo Arnaldi fought back after losing the second set to Spain's Jaume Munar. Arnaldi clinched the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. However, Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta had a difficult day, exiting the tournament after a straight-sets loss to Chile's Alejandro Tabilo, 2-6, 1-6.
Weather played a significant role in the day's schedule. Two matches were suspended due to rain. The encounter between Britain's Jacob Fearnley and France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was halted with Fearnley leading 5-3. Similarly, the match between Hungary's Marton Fucsovics and Croatia's Dino Prizmic was stopped with Prizmic ahead 4-6. Both matches will be completed on a subsequent day.
The first round continues as the tournament builds momentum on the Roman clay. Players are looking to advance and gain valuable ranking points in this key lead-up event to the French Open.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.