Rome (Foro Italico) – The second round of the ATP Masters in Rome brought a real tennis earthquake! The main favorites fell like a house of cards. Young Croatian tennis player Dino Prizmic achieved the biggest win of his career by shocking the first seed Novak Djokovic after a comeback, while local favorite Matteo Arnaldi eliminated Alex De Minaur in an epic marathon. On the other hand, Zverev and young Spanish rising star Jodar routinely did their job.
Shock on Centrale: Prizmic Takes Down Djokovic with a Comeback
No one expected this outcome when Novak Djokovic dominantly won the first set 6-2. It seemed that the world number one would have a routine return to clay. However, the talented Dino Prizmic refused to surrender.
The Croatian drastically raised his level of play, converting 3 out of 6 break points in the match, while Djokovic stopped at only two conversions (2/4). After 2 hours and 17 minutes of great battle, Prizmic won 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, winning a total of 75 points compared to Djokovic’s 71.
📊 Match Statistics: Prizmic 2-1 Djokovic
Italy in a Trance: Arnaldi Survives Drama Against De Minaur
If Djokovic’s match was shocking, the duel between Matteo Arnaldi and Alex De Minaur (6) was a pure spectacle! The trench battle on the Roman clay lasted almost three hours (exactly 2:57). The Australian won the first set (6-4), but carried by the fanatical support from the stands, Arnaldi managed to force two tie-breaks and win both for the final score of 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.
The statistics clearly show how offensive Arnaldi was – he fired as many as 37 winners (compared to De Minaur’s 18) and won a total of 106 points in the match.
Zverev Secure, Jodar Continues His Rise
In the shadow of the big upsets, Alexander Zverev (2) resolved the German derby against Daniel Altmaier without much drama. In an hour and 45 minutes, Zverev won 7-5, 6-3, relying on an excellent first serve and hitting 26 direct points.
The young rising Spanish star, Rafael Jodar (32), also confirmed his excellent performances. Although Nuno Borges put up a great fight and hit as many as 11 aces, Jodar dictated the pace in the rallies. The Spaniard fired an impressive 30 winners and deservedly won in two sets – 7-6, 6-4, after almost two hours of play.
🎾 What awaits us next?
With the elimination of Djokovic and De Minaur (along with the earlier departure of Tsitsipas), the draw has completely opened up. Alexander Zverev now figures as one of the absolute favorites to win Rome, while young lions like Prizmic, Arnaldi, and Jodar threaten to go all the way to the finals. The Rome Masters brings us unpredictable tennis at its best this year!
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