Italian Open 2016: Monday Rome Masters Tennis Scores, Results, Latest Schedule
Nick Kyrgios is safely through to Round 2 of the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, as he made light work of Salvatore Caruso on Monday.
The Aussie notched an easy straight-sets win, something that escaped 10th seed Milos Raonic, as he was forced to battle hard to overcome wild card Marco Cecchinato in a decider.
In the women’s draw, Venus Williams eased past her compatriot Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets to make it into the second round. The 10th seed Lucie Safarova is also through after a professional triumph against Francesca Schiavone.
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Here's Monday's results from Rome and a look at how the action panned out in an absorbing day’s play.
| (10) Milos Raonic bt. Marco Cecchinato | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
| (11) Richard Gasquet bt. Julien Benneteau | 6-3, 6-0 |
| Nick Kyrgios bt. Salvatore Caruso | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Jack Sock bt. Guido Pella | 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 |
| Dominic Thiem bt. Alexandr Dolgopolov | 6-3, 6-0 |
| Guillermo Garcia-Lopez bt. Fabio Fognini | 6-1, 7-6 (2) |
| Ernests Gulbis bt. Ivo Karlovic | 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 |
| Andreas Seppi bt. Vasek Pospisil | 7-6-(5), 7-6 (2) |
| Joao Sousa bt. Lorenzo Sonego | 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 |
| (10) Lucie Safarova bt. Francesca Schiavone | 6-3, 6-2 |
| (12) Venus Williams bt. Coco Vandeweghe | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Daria Kasatkina bt. (16) Karolina Pliskova | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Ekaterina Makarova bt. Danka Kovinic | 6-2, 6-2 |
| Anna-Lena Friedsam bt. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova | 6-4, 7-5 |
| Teliana Pereira bt. Annika Beck | 6-4, 7-6 (6) |
| Misaki Doi bt. Alize Cornet | 7-6 (2), 6-1 |
| Tuesday, May 10 | Tomas Berdych vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas |
| Philipp Kohlschrieber vs. Inigo Cervantes | |
| Jack Sock vs. David Goffin | |
| Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Paolo Lorenzi | |
| Pablo Cuevas vs. Nicholas Mahut | |
| Jeremy Chardy vs. Damir Dzumhur | |
| Kevin Anderson vs. Juan Monaco | |
| Stephane Robert vs. Alijaz Bedene | |
| Tuesday, May 10 | Jelena Jankovic vs. Eugenie Bouchard |
| Johanna Larsson vs. Johanna Konta | |
| Claudia Giovine vs. Christina Mchale | |
| Yanina Wickmayer vs. Timea Bacsinszky | |
| Kiki Bertens vs. Timea Babos | |
| Monica Niculescu vs. Mariana Duque-Marino |
Kyrgios Coasts Through
For a match involving the firebrand Kyrgios, this was about as straightforward as things could get, as the Aussie didn’t give the Italian player a sniff in the capital.
There have been signs of the world No. 20 finding his best form in 2016 so far this season, with a win in Marseille in February followed up with semi-final appearances at tournaments in Dubai, Miami and Estoril. And from the off here, it was evident Kyrgios would be too strong for his opponent.
As these numbers from Live Tennis show emphatically, the opening stanza was dominated by Kyrgios, racing into a 6-1 lead:
"Blazing 6-1 set from #Kyrgios takes 25 mins over #Caruso. Brought his form to Rome!
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) May 9, 2016"
Stream: https://t.co/ba0dV8zDtB pic.twitter.com/KXLKStDpSD
From there, he was in complete control, using his powerful serve, mobility on court and accurate groundstrokes to dazzle Caruso. It paved the way for an inevitable second-set victory, which Kyrgios eventually won 6-2.
In the next round, he will face Raonic, although the big-serving 25-year-old’s place looked to be in doubt for a long time.
The Canadian seemed on course for a routine win when he broke early and took the first set 6-4. But the wild card fought back with gumption in the second, as both men struggled on their serves. Cecchinato, roared on by the home crowd, was evidently sensing an upset.
After some tight frames at the start of the decider, Raonic’s class told in the seventh, as he broke the Italian before opening up a two-game advantage at 5-3. The 10th seed was able to serve out the final set 6-4 and sneak through into Round 2.
As former tennis star Tracy Austin noted ahead of the day’s play, Raonic and Kyrgios are part of a star-studded top half of the draw:
Also through to the second round is 11th seed Richard Gasquet, who was far too strong for compatriot Julien Benneteau in an all-French clash.
Gasquet edged in front in the first set, winning it 6-3, and then his compatriot's focus seemed to dwindle. It allowed the 29-year-old to dictate matters with ease in the final set, taking it 6-0.
In the women’s draw, Williams breezed past Vandeweghe, finding the crucial points in a 6-4, 6-3 win. This one was billed as a clash between a wily veteran and a bright upstart, but the former showed her superior experience at key times in the match, keeping the 24-year-old at arm’s length throughout.
Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times captured the picturesque setting of Williams' match, with statues of iconic sporting figures surrounding the court in Rome:
Monday’s action will be just a taster for things to come this week, with a host of illustrious players poised to get their tournaments under way in Rome.
Fresh from his win in Madrid, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic goes in pursuit of his fifth title in this event; Andy Murray, Roger Federer and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal will be seeking to stop him.
Serena Williams will also be in action in the Italian capital and is the clear favourite to triumph in the women’s draw. Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza will be her biggest rivals for the championship.
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