Has Alcaraz Passed His Test in Rome? Passaro Stuns Dimitrov

Rome, May 9 (NationPress) The former World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz achieved his remarkable 25th victory of the season on Friday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, marking his return from injury with a solid 6-3, 6-3 win against Dusan Lajovic.

In other matches on Friday, Daniil Medvedev, seeded 10th, overcame Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2; eighth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti defeated qualifier Otto Virtanen of Finland 6-3, 6-2; Frenchman Arthur Fils swiftly dispatched Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands 6-2, 6-2, while 18th seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece triumphed over Alexandre Muller of France with a score of 6-2, 7-6(3).

In a surprising twist during the opening round, the Italian wild card Francesco Passaro shocked 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory in a match lasting one hour and 44 minutes.

However, all eyes were on Alcaraz, who did not let his fans down. The Spaniard, who missed the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid last month due to an adductor injury, competed with a precautionary knee wrap during his match against Lajovic.

At just 22 years old, Alcaraz, currently ranked third in the ATP Rankings, moved gracefully on Campo Centrale and outclassed his Serbian rival with a mix of power and finesse.

"The body is feeling great," expressed Alcaraz, who celebrated his birthday on Monday. "I moved well and executed several good sprints today without any pain, which is fantastic. It was a test for me, and I believe I passed it. I aimed to feel more comfortable on the court, moving without focusing on the injury," he stated, as quoted by ATP Tour on Friday.

Alcaraz delivered 20 winners in his 82-minute victory and now leads Lajovic 5-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. He is set to face Laslo Djere, who defeated Estoril champion Alex Michelsen 6-0, 6-3.

The third seed is in pursuit of his third trophy of the year and his second at the Masters 1000 level, having previously triumphed on clay in Monte-Carlo.

Alcaraz, who did not participate in Rome last year due to injury, is leading the ATP Live Race To Turin and aims to maintain his lead over second-placed Jack Draper and third-placed Alexander Zverev with a strong performance in Italy.

The wild card impressively dominated behind his first serve, winning 83% of points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, while he rallied from a break down in the first set to the joy of the home crowd. After improving to 4-0 against Top 30 players, Passaro will next challenge Karen Khachanov, who overcame Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.

Fils, who faced little resistance in his Rome opener, dispatched Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-2, reaching the third round in Rome for the first time. The Frenchman, who leads Griekspoor 3-1 in their ATP head-to-head series, is set to face Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas defeated Alexandre Muller 6-2, 7-6(3) to advance to the third round. The Greek has reached the quarter-finals in five of his last seven appearances in Rome and has won 14 of his past 15 matches against players outside the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings.