2024 Rome Open Monday Schedule and Preview featuring Medvedev, Sabalenka, Osaka and Swiatek – Kerber

The schedule for Monday, May 13th of the Rome Open has been revealed, with the start of the round of 16 in the WTA draw, while the men define the remaining eight players who will be in the fourth round of the tournament.

The top favorites on the women's side will take to the court, with the standout match of Iga Swiatek against the former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber and the duel of the 2-times Rome Open champion Elina Svitolina against the world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

Additionally, defending champion Daniil Medvedev will take to the Center Court against Hamad Medjedovic, the champion of the past Next Gen and protege of Djokovic. Our preview looks ahead to some of the top ties and leading storylines ahead of Day Six at the Rome Open and which matches to look out for.

The third round of the men's competition concludes, and the players who could make a significant impact in Rome are starting to emerge. Djokovic's unexpected elimination at the hands of Alejandro Tabilo further widens the field of possibilities for the players, especially considering that Sinner and Alcaraz did not participate in the tournament.

The top favorite is Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 champion and the highest-ranked player in the tournament. However, his discomfort on clay courts makes it challenging to predict how far he can advance. Facing Medjedovic won't be easy; the young player from the qualifiers has nothing to lose. He has secured four consecutive wins in Rome, all in straight sets, including a victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (30th seed).

Also on Center Court, the 3-times Monte-Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will face Cameron Norrie. The Greek survived a resilient Jan-Lennard Struff in the debut, but he is considered the favorite against the British player, who has struggled to achieve significant results lately.

The 2023 finalist Holger Rune will face the Argentine clay specialist Sebastian Baez, while the recent finalist of the Madrid Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime, will be playing against the Australian Alex De Minaur.

Other interesting matchups among the men include the 4th seed Andrey Rublev (who survived Marcos Giron in the debut) against the Frenchman Alexandre Muller, while the local Matteo Napolitano challenges the Chilean Nicolas Jarry. Additionally, Hubert Hurkacz (who easily eliminated Rafael Nadal) faces the Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry this time.

The day on Center Court will kick off with an intriguing battle between two Asians as former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka takes on the 7th seed Qinwen Zheng. There has been recent controversy between the players after coach Wim Fissette terminated his contract with Zheng at the end of last year to work with Osaka, which angered Zheng, who slammed the coach as 'immoral'.

On the other hand, Swiatek hopes to maintain her winning streak that she has carried since the Madrid Open. It won't be easy against Kerber, who has secured a couple of convincing victories along the way and seems to be improving with each match since her return.

The showdown between Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina will steal the spotlight at the end of the day. Svitolina, a two-time champion (2017 and 2018), finds the conditions in Rome quite comfortable, although Sabalenka arrives after a solid victory over Dayana Yastremska in straight sets.

Other intriguing matchups of the day include Maria Sakkari against Victoria Azarenka and Coco Gauff against Paula Badosa, among others.