Some initial suffering, then ease towards winning the third round. Novak Djokovic started his run at the Italian Internationals well, beating Frenchman Corentin Moutet in less than an hour and a half. Nole started out tense, unable to find the field in various circumstances with his forehand: the many free throws in the initial part of the match allowed the transalpine to break the Serbian twice, taking a 3-1 lead.
From that moment on, the native of Belgrade entered the game definitively and changed gear, overcoming the deficit without conceding a game to his opponent again (6-3). In the second set Moutet began to get nervous and make a lot of mistakes, while the 36-year-old directed the set right from the first exchanges.
Three breaks in total, with only one game left to the Frenchman, led Djokovic to close the case at 6-1. Francesco Passaro he was the author of another incredible battle and comeback at the Foro Italico, this time sending the crowd on court 2 into ecstasy.
The 23-year-old player, with already three tough matches under his belt, found himself facing a tough Tallon Griekspoor who was also playing his debut match. The Dutchman took home the first set 6-4 thanks to an early break but had to deal with the determination of the Italian, who never gave up even on this occasion.
With a remarkable 6-3, taking advantage of his opponent’s only missed service pass in the sixth game, the native of Perugia extended the match to the third and prepared himself for a new exhausting fight. The decisive set lasted over an hour, with the two never losing their serve and going all the way to the tie-break: down 5-4, Passato held his nerve and overturned the scoring situation with the serve .
Then, at 6-5, the moment full of tension and the push of the Azzurri fans betrayed Griekspoor, who had to concede 7-5. The Umbrian tennis player will now have to face the Portuguese Nuno Borges on Sunday.
Fognini and Gigante eliminated, Ruud out
The Grand Stand, after Thursday’s victory, turned its back on Fabio Fognini. The Ligurian had to surrender to the superiority, especially in serving, of the American Taylor Fritz.
6-3, 6-4 the final result in favor of the American, who will now have to challenge Sebastian Korda in an interesting derby. The Argentine Francisco Cerundolo left only four games to Matteo Gigante, who thus exited the scene in the second round (6-1, 6-3).
In a very strange match, the fifth seed Casper Ruud gave way to the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. After the initial 6-0 in favor of the Norwegian, the 24-year-old from Belgrade was the protagonist of a great comeback (double 6-4) which ensured him passage to the next round.
