The 2023 Italian Open quarter-final lineup is set with Djokovic, Medvedev, Ruud, Tsitsipas, Rune, Coric, Cerundolo and Hanfmann all taking to the courts again for the last eight.
In the day’s opening match, top seed Novak Djokovic moved past Cam Norrie with a straight-sets victory. Casper Ruud soon joined him with a swift victory over Laslo Djere, and Daniil Medvedev put in a stellar performance to take out Sascha Zverev.
The upset of the day went to qualifier Yannick Hanfmann as he dispatched Andrey Rublev 7-6(5) 4-6 6-3 to make his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.
In the evening session, Borna Coric ended Fabian Marozsan’s impressive run in a match that ended past midnight.
Stefanos Tsitsipas only got on the court at 11.30 pm, his second match of the day after rain scuppered his match yesterday, and he finished with a 7-5 7-5 victory over Lorenzo Musetti at 1.43 am. A two-week Masters 1000, yet the players are forced to wait around all day and then play until 2 am? Garbage.
You can see the full round of 16 results below:
Italian Open 2023 Last 16 Results
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Novak Djokovic (1)
Cameron Norrie (13)
6-3 6-4
Daniil Medvedev (3)
Alexander Zverev
6-2, 7-6(3)
Casper Ruud (4)
Laslo Djere
6-1 6-3
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5)
Lorenzo Musetti (18)
7-5 7-5
Yannick Hanfmann (Q)
Andrey Rublev (6)
7-6(5) 4-6 6-3
Holger Rune (7)
Alexei Popyrin (Q)
6-4 5-7 6-3
Francisco Cerundolo (24)
Jannik Sinner (8)
6-7(3) 6-2 6-2
Borna Coric (15)
Fabian Marozsan
3-6 6-4 6-3
Djokovic Negates Norrie
Novak Djokovic is into his 17th consecutive Rome quarter-final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie.
It was Novak’s most stable performance of the tournament so far, and he was the comfortable victor, dictating play on his serve and applying pressure on the return to prevent Norrie from establishing any foothold.
There were a few spicy moments in the match, with Norrie hitting a smash straight into Novak’s legs to recover a break of serve.
There was no malice, however, as Djokovic had turned his back on the point, assuming it was over and Norrie was entirely focused on making the overhead which would naturally go in the direction that Novak was walking. However, that still riled the Serb, and he upped his game from there to break again at the back end of set two before closing it out.
So far, so good. It was an early start today. Strange conditions, and we warmed up for just 20 minutes. I was rushing a little bit, and we couldn’t play before because of the rain, so I am glad to overcome the challenge in straight sets and move on. Djokovic on his win over Norrie.
Rune Overcomes Popyrin Test
Holger Rune overcame a stern test from Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win after a three-hour battle.
Popyrin switched rackets recently, and his form has taken off with relentless hard-hitting off both wings, but Rune was up to the task of retrieving a ton of balls and only made three unforced errors in the final set to set up a showdown with Novak Djokovic.
Hanfmann Halts Rublev
It was all about Jan-Lennard Struff in Madrid, but his fellow countryman Yannick Hanfmann is stealing the headlines in Rome.
Hanfmann, who entered the main draw via qualifying, has always been a talent, but this season he is stringing wins together and now finds himself in the quarter-finals thanks to a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 win over Andrey Rublev.
The German put on a solid baseline display, and his forehand got him out of trouble several times, saving multiple break points in the final set en route to victory.
Tsitsipas Takes Down Musetti
Stefanos Tsitsipas played two on Tuesday, completing his match with Lorenzo Sonego and then waiting until 11.30 pm before taking on another Italian, Lorenzo Musetti.
It was a hard-fought 7-5 7-5 victory for the Greek, with Musetti coming back from a break in the first set only to slip up at 5-6, and a similar story in the second, only this time Tsitsipas recovering an early break from 1-3, to break decisively at 5-6 to seal it.
It was a very full day; I’ll tell you that. Spent the entire day at the courts. It had to be done, the rain got in the way, so I’m happy the day ends like this. I put a great effort out there today. Tonight actually, not today! It’s been wonderful and delightful to be playing this way, and I need to catch some Zs now; get ready. I think tomorrow’s a day off, so I must recharge and focus on the next one. Tsitsipas on his two wins in one day.
Other Matches of Note
Ruud Dispatches Djere: A clinical performance from the Norwegian who dropped just four games. 6-1 6-3.
Cerundolo Sinks Sinner: Francisco Cerundolo found his way past home favourite Jannik Sinner 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-2. The Argentine is much more au fait with clay courts than the Italian, which showed as he dominated with his forehand.
Medvedev Makes Quarters: A 3rd win in a row for Medvedev against Sascha Zverev as he beat the German 6-2 7-6(3). Some excellent hitting from Meddy, and his clay game is improving
Coric Ends Marozsan Run: A very close match, but Coric edged it 3-6 6-4 6-4 and seemed to make better returns on the big points.
Italian Open 2023 Quarter Finals
Novak Djokovic (1) vs Holger Rune (7)
Casper Ruud (3) vs Francisco Cerundolo (24)
Yannick Hanfmann (Q) vs Daniil Medvedev (4)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) vs Borna Coric (15)
Who are your picks to make the semi-finals in Rome? Let me know in the comments.