Rome, May 9: In a surprising turn of events at the Italian Open, Czech player Tomas Macháč has withdrawn from the tournament due to illness. This withdrawal has granted Russian player Daniil Medvedev an early advantage in his campaign. The ATP announced before the day’s matches that Medvedev would receive a walkover into the third round.
World No. 53 Macháč was set to face Medvedev at the Foro Italico, marking one of the key matchups in the second round. However, with Macháč’s exit, Medvedev now advances directly to the next round, where he will meet the winner of the match between France’s Corentin Moutet and Spain’s Pablo Llamas Ruiz.
For Medvedev, this walkover comes at a time when his performance on clay courts has been inconsistent. The former world No. 1 struggled to find his rhythm on this surface in recent weeks. He was eliminated in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters after a one-sided defeat to Matteo Berrettini.
Medvedev showed some improvement at the 2026 Madrid Open, winning two matches before falling to local favorite Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round. Despite this, Medvedev has a strong history in Rome, having won the title in 2023. However, he has faced early exits in the fourth round in his last two appearances.
If the Russian player hopes to reclaim the title this season, he faces a tough challenge ahead. He is expected to meet world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. Additionally, his section of the draw includes formidable opponents like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Brazil’s rising talent Joao Fonseca.
On the other side of Sinner’s quarter, young stars such as Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils, and Ben Shelton are eager to make their mark in the tournament. Should Medvedev reach the championship match, the second-seeded Alexander Zverev is considered the strongest contender to advance from the other half of the draw.
Due to the late withdrawal, organizers had to make several adjustments to Saturday’s schedule. The match between Russia’s Andrey Rublev and Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic was moved to the center court, while the Moutet-Llamas Ruiz match was shifted to the Supertennis Arena.
Meanwhile, the timing of the match on Court 1 has been changed to the afternoon. The clash between Chile’s Cristian Garin and Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will not start before 2:00 PM local time.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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