Jannik Sinner, Rome’s return to the field could be in a derby
The men’s singles main draw of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia has been drawn. Pending the conclusion of qualifying, there are 13 Italians in the main draw, led by Jannik Sinner, the first Italian to play at the Foro as world No. 1.
Jannik is in his sixth appearance at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (9-5 win-loss balance). The first seed will debut against either Argentine Mariano Navone or Federico Cinà. The first possible seed on his path is Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (25). Possible eighth with US Frances Tiafoe or Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
At the Forum in 2019, Sinner scored his first Masters 1000 victory against Steve Johnson, then world number 59.
Cinà, class of 2007, made his major circuit debut in the Miami Masters 1000, winning his very first match, and in Madrid his second before bowing out in a comeback to a complimentary Sebastian Korda. At the Foro Italico he will play for the first time ever.
In the first quarter there’s also Berrettini (7-5) not playing his home Masters 1000 since 2021, just after his first and so far only final in this category of tournaments, in Madrid. His first match, as the No. 29 seed, will be in the second round against Britain’s Jacob Fearnley or Fabio Fognini. It was against the Ligurian Berrettini played his first match at the Internazionali BNL. d’Italia in 2017
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All in all, he is on his sixth appearance at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. In 2020, the edition moved to September due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he signed his best finish in Rome. He reached the quarterfinals, defeated against Norway’s Casper Ruud. He has only won two matches in a row in two other editions, in 2019 and 2021, in which he stopped in the round of 16.
Fognini has been a regular presence at the Internazionali d’Italia since 2006, and since 2008 he has always played in the main draw (16-17 record). His best result is the quarterfinal reached in the 2018 edition, while a year ago he was defeated in the second round.
