Rome Previews: Jannik Sinner gets a step up in competition against Francisco Cerundolo

Jannik Sinner vs. Francisco Cerundolo

🖥️ Stream live here, on TennisChannel.com (9 a.m. ET)

Cerundolo is due for a win of this magnitude. At 26, the Argentine has taken a step up since the beginning of March, making the quarterfinals at hard-court Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Miami, and the semis at his last two clay events, in Munich and Madrid. During that time, he has played Top 10 opponents like Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud well, but come up just short.

Now he’ll take on the top guy of them all, on his home court. That wouldn’t seem like a recipe for a breakthrough. But there are reasons to think Cerundolo has a chance. First, he’s 2-2 against Sinner. Granted, they haven’t played since 2023, before Sinner became No. 1. But their last match was in Rome two years ago and Cerundolo won it in three sets. Second, while recently suspended Sinner has won his first two rounds in straight sets, Cerundolo will be a step up in quality. Will Sinner be ready, after three months away, to make that jump?

For Cerundolo, the question may not be about his game; he likes clay, and he has a forehand that’s as lethal as just about anyone’s on tour. The question may be his mind; does he believe he can win a match like this, rather than just put in a strong performance? Either way, I’m not going to pick against Sinner, who has made a habit of taking tough challengers and rolling right over them. Winner: Sinner

Alexander Zverev vs. Arthur Fils

🖥️ Stream live here, on TennisChannel.com (11 a.m. ET)

Not many other matchups, if any, have produced the consistent competitive drama that these two have over the past two years. Zverev and Fils have played four times in 2024 and 2025; all four matches have gone three sets, and each man has won twice. Last year, Fils spoiled Zverev’s hometown party in the Hamburg final, in a third-set tiebreaker. A few months later, Zverev turned around and beat Fils in front of his home fans at the Paris Indoors, also in three.

Now they’ll meet again, with a chance to make the quarters in Rome. Just as importantly, they’ll both have a chance to lay down a marker before Roland Garros. Zverev made the final in Paris last year, while Fils is hoping to rise to the occasion at home for the first time.

Fils has had a good spring and is coming off a comeback win over another RG runner-up, Stefanos Tsitsipas. It’s a little hard to tell where Zverev’s game is. He’s had a subpar season overall, but he also broke out of that slump, for a week, when he won Munich. He’s a two-time champ in Rome, so he likes these courts.

Fils will attack, while Zverev will rally. That means the match may lie a little more on the Frenchman’s racquet than the German’s. I’ll say that’s a good thing for him right now. Winner: Fils

Elina Svitolina vs. Peyton Stearns

🖥️ Stream live here, on TennisChannel.com (1 p.m. ET)

On Monday, Stearns may have surprised a reporter who asked if she thinks she’s good under pressure. It was a logical question, considering that Stearns had just won her second straight match in a third-set tiebreaker, this one over Naomi Osaka.

“No, not really,” the American answered, citing her tendency to lose deciding sets this season.

But the 23-year-old Ohio native has found something the past two weeks on clay. After making the round of 16, and winning two three-setters, in Madrid, she’s into the quarters in Rome, where she has beaten two Grand Slam champs, Madison Keys and Osaka, 7-6 in the third. She’s up to a career-high No. 42.

Can Stearns work her surprising, stubborn magic again vs. the 14th-ranked Svitolina? The two have never played, but the Ukrainian is a more natural dirt-baller than Osaka, or Stearns herself. Each woman will be coming in without a day of rest, but only Stearns will have to recover from an epic effort. Winner: Svitolina