Zverev & Ruud Advance to Italian Open Round of 16 in Style

The victory marked the second time in just over a week that Zverev had beaten the 21-year-old Belgian, having also overcome him in straight sets during the semi-finals of the Madrid Open 2026 earlier this month.

Playing on the windy courts of the Foro Italico, the German produced a composed display and controlled most of the baseline exchanges to complete the win in 74 minutes.

"I was much better than I was two days ago. I think it was difficult to play pretty tennis from the baseline today because the conditions were not easy; it was very windy. But overall, I am very happy," Zverev was quoted by ATP.

The two-time Rome champion looked sharp from the outset and dominated the opening set with clean hitting and consistent depth from the back of the court. Zverev struck more winners and kept his unforced error count low, leaving Blockx struggling to find rhythm in the early stages.

The Belgian showed more intent in the second set and attempted to play with greater aggression, but Zverev continued to absorb pressure effectively and closed down angles with precise hitting through the middle of the court. One of the highlights of the contest came midway through the second set when the German produced a delicate drop volley to hold serve during a key moment of the match.

The result extended Zverev's strong record in Rome, where he has now registered 29 career victories. The German is still searching for his first title of the 2026 season after finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Madrid last week. He will next face either American Tommy Paul or Italy's Luciano Darderi for a place in the quarter-finals.

Despite the defeat, Blockx continued to underline his growing promise on clay. The young Belgian had reached the third round in Rome after wins over Federico Cina and Tallon Griekspoor, adding to an encouraging clay-court season that has already included a run to the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals 2025.

Elsewhere, Casper Ruud maintained his unbeaten head-to-head record against Jiri Lehecka with a 6-3, 6-4 victory to move into the next round. The Norwegian, a three-time semi-finalist in Rome, will next take on either Lorenzo Musetti or Francisco Cerundolo.

The Norwegian has advanced to the Round of 16 at a clay-court Masters 1000 event once more, marking this stage in nine of his last ten clay-court tournaments in this category. Additionally, he achieved his second victory over a top 20 player in 2026 by defeating world No. 6 Alex de Minaur of Australia at the United Cup.

Ruud will face the winner of the Lorenzo Musetti vs Francisco Cerúndolo clash in his next game.

- IANS