Italian Open 2024 Day 3 Recap – Perfect Tennis

Day three at the 2024 Italian Open is complete, and top seed Novak Djokovic made a rapid start to his tournament with a 6-3 6-1 win over Corentin Moutet.

The big casualty of the round was Casper Ruud, who lost to Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets despite bagelling the Serb in the opener, who appeared to be suffering from a back problem.

Unfortunately, for the home representation, it was an unsuccessful day with only Luca Darderi progressing as Musetti retired in the second set, Cobolli losing to Korda, Fognini losing to Fritz and Gigante falling to Cerundolo.

You can see the results from day three below.

Day Three Italian Open 2024 Round of 64 Results

Dimitrov Negates Nishioka

Grigor Dimitrov kicked off his Rome campaign with a solid victory, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-4 to move into the third round.

Nishioka is always a tricky opponent, so Dimitrov was tested but showcased strength in his service games, winning 92 per cent (23/25) of his first serve points.

Dimitrov has been remarkably consistent this year, but after relatively early losses in Monte Carlo and Rome, he’ll be looking for a deep run at the Foro Italico. He will face French qualifier Terence Atmane next, who moved through after Lorenzo Musetti retired at 7-5, 1-0.

I am happy with the win. It was a difficult match today. A lefty in the first match is never easy. The conditions were the warmest this year. Clay, lefty, so everything adds up, but I am happy to finish in straight sets. Dimitrov on overcoming Nishioka.

Zverev Vaults Past Vukic

Sascha Zverev fondly remembers Rome, having lifted the title in 2017. He started in fine form, cruising past Aleksandar Vukic 6-0, 6-4 in just one hour and 21 minutes.

The German reeled off 20 winners, and although his game wasn’t error-free, he was far too solid for the Aussie from the baseline.

Zverev is playing Rome as the third seed, and he’s had a solid year so far without pulling up any trees or landing any titles, so he’ll be keen to buck that trend in the Italian capital.

He will next face Italy’s Luciano Darderi. Darderi, this year’s Cordoba champion, who defeated clay specialist and 28th seed Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-2.

Hopefully, this is just the start. I want to play a good tournament, many matches and go deep. Giving myself a chance to win one. That was a good start. I came out firing, especially in the first set, and I am happy about today. Zverev on his win over Vukic.

Kecmanovic Rallies Past Ruud

Casper Ruud looked like he’d be cruising into round three when he captured the first set 6-0 against Miomir Kecmanovic, especially since the Serb had to take a medical timeout for a back injury.

However, the tables quickly turned, and after dropping the second set in which he was broken three times Ruud also needed treatment for a back injury.

Despite the Norwegian fending off four break points in the first game of the third set, he couldn’t prevent Kecmanović from securing a crucial break in the seventh game, which proved decisive.

After receiving treatment at 0-5 in the opener, the Serbian looked reborn and engaged in several lengthy baseline rallies where he came out on top.

It means a lot, especially on clay, where he is among today’s best players. I’m happy that I was able [after the first set] to come back and win. I had some back problems recently. I asked the doctor for as many pills as he could give me to numb the pain. When it kicked in, I started moving and feeling much better. I guess I just tried to forget about the score, play, hit, and see what happens. Luckily, it went my way this time. Kecmanovic on his win over Ruud.

Djokovic Makes Solid Start

Novak Djokovic made a pleasing start in Rome and eased past French lucky loser Corentin Moutet to advance to the third round.

Djokovic hasn’t been on a match court since the semi-finals in Monte Carlo last month. After a shaky start, where he slipped to a 1-3 deficit in the first set, he found his rhythm and clinched the match 6-3, 6-1, breaking Moutet six times.

Moutet is known for his crafty play that features all manner of variety, but Djokovic leveraged his consistency from the baseline to lure the Frenchman into taking too many risks where the percentages weren’t in his favour.

Unfortunately, the day was somewhat spoilt by a fan throwing a bottle at Djokovic’s head when he was signing autographs after his win.

Match play is different to practice sets. I played a lefty, and I have not practised with a lefty in a while, so it took me a little time to adjust to the different rotations of the ball. The first four games were quite bad for me. A bad start. I lost both my service games. But then I played well. I only lost one game from 1-3 down. Corentin is a very talented player. He has great hands and is very unpredictable. You don’t know what comes up next, so I had to stay focused, which I did, and it was a good opening match. Djokovic on his win over Moutet.

Other Matches of Note

Shelton Clashes With Kotov: Last year, Ben Shelton looked like a fish out of water when he set foot on the clay, but he’s found a way to play on it, moving past Pavel Kotov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was a tense final set, with Kotov receiving a point penalty for taking too much time when Shelton was serving, which was fairly administered as he was moving at a snail’s pace and rubbing out marks.

Korda Cuts Out Cobolli: Seb Korda had to deal with a partisan crowd, but he overcame them and Flavio Cobolli 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 43 minutes.

Fritz Foils Fognini: Taylor Fritz maintained his excellent performance on European clay, taking down crowd favourite Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4.

Italian Open 2024 Day 4 Round of 64 Matches