ATP Masters Rome: No bonus for tournament winners
After their debut triumphs in Estoril and Munich, Sebastian Baez and Holger Rune have to go back to qualifying for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
May 06, 2022, 11:07 pm
It's often said that tournament champions don't have enough time to celebrate their triumphs. Won a final on Sunday, training again on Monday at the next tournament location. Things went differently for Holger Rune and Sebastian Baez last week: the two youngsters were able to rest for a few days after the coups in Munich and Estoril. Because there was no room for the two in the main draw in Madrid: The so-called special exceptions do not apply in a 1000 tournament if the players concerned are employed in an ATP Tour 250 event.
But now Rune and Baez are allowed to play again. First of all, however, in the qualification for the Masters in Rome. Because when the registration for the classic in the Foro Italico closed, Rune and Baez were still far outside of the places that would have guaranteed a starting right in the main field. And so the two have to qualify.
Paire also has to qualify
Sebastian Baez starts in first place against Soonwoo Kwon, after which it would be against the winner of the match between Emil Ruusuvuori and the Italian Giovanni Fonio. Holger Rune probably had it a little more difficult: He served against Hugo Dellien in round one, then potentially against Laslo Djere or Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Other prominent names in the field? Benoit Paire, for example, who has to compete with Dusan Lajovic at the start. Lajovic has beaten Casper Ruud in Madrid this week. With Francesco Cerundolo, the semi-finalist from Miami has to take the difficult path, as does Maxime Cressy, who tormented Rafael Nadal in the final of Melbourne's ATP Tour 250 tournament earlier this year.
Anyone looking for German-speaking participants will not find what they are looking for in the qualification field. So the German hopes rest on Alexander Zverev (opened against a qualifier), the Austrians on Dominic Thiem, who was drawn against Fabio Fognini.
Here the single tableau in Rome
Here is the qualifying tableau in Rome
rommap