Three to See, Rome Day 7: Tsitsipas vs. Sonego; Tiafoe vs. Musetti; Swiatek vs. Vekic

WATCH: At the Tennis Channel desk, Stefanos Tsitsipas spoke about the challenge the Lorenzo Sonego presents.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Lorenzo Sonego

We know there are three top-tier contenders for the Roland Garros men’s crown: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and, assuming he plays, Rafael Nadal. Should we put Tsitsipas, who was a set from the title in Paris in 2021, up with them, or at least near them?

His performance in Rome, where he reached the final a year ago, may hold the answer. So far during this clay season he has been a runner-up once and a quarterfinalist twice. Now he’ll get a test when he faces Sonego, and a stadium full of his fans, in this night match in Centrale. Tsitsipas is 2-0 against the 48th-ranked Italian, but both of those matches were on hard courts two years ago, and one of them went to 6-4 in the third set.

Sonego is one of the rare Italian men who has risen to the occasion at home; in 2021, he made the semifinals and took a set from Djokovic. He’ll be in his element again on Monday night, and his forehand may be the best shot on the court. Winner: Sonego

Frances Tiafoe vs. Lorenzo Musetti

While Sonego is taking on Tsitsipas in Centrale, his countryman Musetti will be in the Grand Stand with Tiafoe. This should be a crowd-pleaser. Musetti is a favorite son of Rome, who also has one of the most watchable one-handed backhands in the game; Tiafoe loves a stage, and his shots and speed are a show of their own.

Musetti and Tiafoe have played just one complete match, which Musetti won in a third-set tiebreaker two years ago on hard courts in Acapulco. Each has improved and cracked the Top 20 since then. On most nights, in most places, I’d take Tiafoe, but not on this night, in this place, on this surface. Winner: Musetti

Iga Swiatek vs. Donna Vekic

Swiatek doesn’t make it easy for people like me to tout her upcoming matches, or sell them as potentially dramatic and competitive. For the past 13 months or so, the world No. 1 has mostly blown people out. Has any player won a higher percentage of 6-0 sets over an extended period of time? So far in Rome, she has handed out three bagels in the four sets she’s played.

Does Vekic, who is ranked 24th and has had a good season, stand a chance of putting a few more games on the board in this nightcap match in Centrale? Their head-to-head isn’t incredibly promising. Swiatek is 3-0 against her, and the most recent set they played, in San Diego last fall, was indeed 6-0 in her favor. But that was after Vekic had taken a set, and she did make their other two matches competitive. This is probably as much as we can ask for from a round-of-16 opponent of Swiatek’s at the moment. Winner: Swiatek