Another day of mixed results at the Rome Masters means it has been a slow start to the tournament.
Action moves onto the Third Round as far as the WTA tournament is concerned, while the ATP event concludes the Second Round schedule when we move into the first weekend in Rome and there are three selections which can be read below.
Tomas Machac - 3.5 games v Learner Tien: The next crop of American tennis players are never that far away and 19 year old Learner Tien has already made an impact on the Tour.
He put some solid performances together at the Australian Open and has cracked the top 70 in the World Rankings, although Tien is going to have to go through the same experiences as so many of his compatriots during this European clay court swing.
Like many American players, the red dirt can take some getting used to for those playing on the Tour and Learner Tien is having a first full year playing clay court tennis. He did have a decent run in Munich, which will give Tien confidence, but early losses in Madrid and Estoril are just a reminder of the challenge that so many players from the United States face when playing on an unfamiliar surface.
He beat fellow American Reilly Opelka in the First Round, but this is a different challenge for Learner Tien against a player from Europe who will be much more comfortable on the clay courts.
Tomas Machac is a solid all around player and is the current World Number 20 as he looks to become the next big player representing Czechia. He has a 25-16 record on the clay courts in 2023 and 2024 combined, but it has not been the most productive time for him on the surface in 2025 having lost two of the three matches played and not having any kind of impact in Monte Carlo or Madrid.
A loss of focus has perhaps been a problem considering Machac won the first set in the two matches he has been beaten, and he has not served nor returned as well as would be expected.
This should be a more comfortable match up for Tomas Machac against someone he has beaten before and who is still learning how to craft points on the clay.
Respect will be given to Learner Tien for the level of performances he has produced considering his inexperience on this surface, but Tomas Machac should be the stronger player on the clay and that can show up on the scoreboard at the end of this Second Round match.
Andrey Rublev - 2.5 games v Fabian Marozsan: It has been a difficult twelve months for Andrey Rublev and he continues to struggle to find the consistency needed to get to where he wants to go.
That inconsistency is summed up by his clay court record in 2025 with two wins and three losses and Andrey Rublev is looking to put a strong tournament in the books to build confidence before the French Open begins. He has managed to win a match at both Monte Carlo and Barcelona before exiting events and Andrey Rublev is narrowly favoured to win this Second Round match in Rome.
Despite the record on the clay, Andrey Rublev has been able to put some solid numbers together and that has to be respected.
He serves very well on the surface and Rublev is an aggressive and very capable return player, while previous successes at Roland Garros underlines the ability of the World Number 17 when it comes to playing on this surface.
First up for Andrey Rublev is a match with Fabian Marozsan who upset Joao Fonseca in the First Round.
The Hungarian did reach the Semi Final in Munich last month, but Fabian Marozsan has not exactly put the wins together in Monte Carlo or Madrid around that tournament. He is a comfortable clay court player, and has plenty of wins on the surface, but this feels like a big increase in level of opponent and Fabian Marozsan has struggled to step up.
Over the last twelve months, Fabian Marozsan has a 3-7 record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay courts and he has struggled in all aspects of his tennis.
In three previous matches against Andrey Rublev, Fabian Marozsan has had difficulty in attacking the Russian's serve and that can be a problem on the clay courts. He only won 34% of return points against Rublev when the players met on this surface last year and Fabian Marozsan could struggle to keep the aggressive top 20 Ranked player from getting on top in key moments.
Andrey Rublev will have to play well, but he is capable against an opponent of this level and he can make it through to the Third Round with a win and cover.
Jasmine Paolini - 3.5 games v Ons Jabeur: This does feel like a pick opposing Ons Jabeur rather than backing Jasmine Paolini, but the World Number 5 deserves her respect for her clay court ability.
The defeat to Maria Sakkari in Madrid will feel disappointing, but Jasmine Paolini had a good run in Stuttgart which was only ended by Aryna Sabalenka. During that path through to the Semi Final, the Italian was able to beat Coco Gauff and that victory looks all the stronger after Gauff reached the Madrid Final.
She is facing Ons Jabeur who benefited from a walkover in the Second Round, but who has played one clay court match this year and been beaten in that one. An injury has meant a lot of time has been missed and Ons Jabeur has fallen out of the top 30 of the World Rankings, even if she remains a talented player on the Tour.
Winning matches is important and Ons Jabeur has simply not been doing enough of that recently as she has struggled to remain healthy.
Previously the Tunisian has been a very comfortable clay court player, but 2024 was a tough year on this surface and the lack of matches in 2025 has to go against Jabeur here.
Last year, Jasmine Paolini beat Ons Jabeur on the clay courts of Stuttgart and she may be able to back that up against an opponent who may run out steam. You know Paolini will keep going for as long as needed and the higher Ranked player may come through with a good looking win on the scoreboard.
MY PICKS: Tomas Machac - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Andrey Rublev - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Jasmine Paolini - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Rome Update: 3-3, - 0.46 Units (6 Units Staked, - 7.67% Yield)
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