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Medvedev Advances at Italian Open After Machac Withdrawal

Daniil Medvedev advanced to the third round of the Italian Open after Tomas Machac withdrew due to illness, giving the Russian a walkover. The withdrawal forced schedule changes, with Andrey Rublev's match moved to Centre Court. Medvedev, who won the Rome title in 2023, has had an inconsistent clay-court season but seeks to reclaim the trophy. He faces a tough draw with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as a potential semi-final opponent.

Key Points: Medvedev Gets Walkover at Italian Open

  • Medvedev gets walkover after Machac withdraws
  • Machac ranked world No. 53
  • Medvedev won Rome title in 2023
  • Russian faces tough draw with Sinner possible semi-final
2 min read

Italian Open: Medvedev advances via walkover after Machac pulls out with illness

Daniil Medvedev advances to third round at Italian Open after Tomas Machac withdraws due to illness. Russian seeks to reclaim 2023 title.

"The walkover comes at a useful moment in an otherwise inconsistent clay-court season. - Article"

Rome, May 9

Daniil Medvedev received an early boost in his campaign at the Italian Open after Czech player Tomas Machac withdrew from the tournament due to illness on Saturday. The withdrawal, confirmed by the ATP ahead of the day's play in Rome, handed former champion Medvedev a walkover into the third round without the Russian needing to step onto court.

Machac, currently ranked world No. 53, had been scheduled to face Medvedev in one of the headline second-round contests at the Foro Italico. Instead, the 2023 Rome champion now advances directly and will face the winner of the clash between France's Corentin Moutet and Spain's Pablo Llamas Ruiz.

The late withdrawal also forced organisers to make several changes to Saturday's schedule. Andrey Rublev's encounter against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic was moved to Centre Court, while the Moutet-Llamas Ruiz fixture was shifted to the Supertennis Arena.

Meanwhile, action on Court 1 was rescheduled to begin at midday, with the match between Chile's Christian Garin and Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina set for no earlier than 2:00 PM local time.

For Medvedev, the walkover comes at a useful moment in an otherwise inconsistent clay-court season. The former world No. 1 has struggled to find rhythm on the surface in recent weeks, suffering a shocking first-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters after a one-sided defeat to Matteo Berrettini.

The Russian showed some improvement at the Madrid Open 2026, winning two matches before losing to home favourite Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round. Medvedev, however, has previously enjoyed success in Rome, lifting the title in 2023. Since then, he has endured back-to-back fourth-round exits, losing to Tommy Paul in 2024 and Lorenzo Musetti last year.

The Russian still faces a difficult route if he hopes to reclaim the title this season. He is projected to meet world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, with dangerous opponents such as Felix Auger-Aliassime and rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca also lurking in his section of the draw.

Elsewhere in Sinner's quarter, young stars Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton are among the players aiming to shake up the tournament. Should Medvedev reach the championship match, second seed Alexander Zverev is considered the most likely finalist from the opposite half of the draw.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Wishing Tomas Machac a speedy recovery! Illness is never easy, especially at a big tournament. Medvedev might be happy about the walkover, but as a tennis fan, I always want to see competitive matches. The rescheduling chaos must have been a headache for organizers. Hopefully, Andrey Rublev gets his match in on Centre Court now.
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Priya S
Interesting to see how Medvedev's clay season is shaping up. He won Rome in 2023, so he knows what it takes here. But his draw is brutal—Sinner in semis, and guys like Fils and Shelton are no pushovers. I think he needs to serve better and be more aggressive on this surface. That loss to Berrettini in Monte Carlo was shocking, honestly.
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Michael C
A walkover is never ideal for fans, but illness happens. The scheduling changes are interesting—Rublev vs. Kecmanovic on Centre Court should be a good one. Medvedev's path looks tough, especially with Sinner looming. I'm curious to see if the Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca can cause an upset in that section. Tennis needs fresh faces!
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Vikram M
Jio, I feel bad for Machac. He was probably looking forward to testing himself against a top-10 player. But Medvedev gets a free day to rest, which might be a blessing considering his struggles this clay season. The real test will be if he gets past that dangerous quarter with Auger-Aliassime and young guns like Mensik. I want to see him go deep again in Rome! 🤞
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James A

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