Three to See, Rome Day 8: Djokovic vs. Norrie; Swiatek vs. Vekic; Sinner vs. Cerundolo

LINE CALLS, PRESENTED BY FANDUEL: Novak Djokovic is a heavy favorit on Tuesday but Tennis.com Gambling expert Zach Cohen found a way to bet the underdog Cam Norrie.

Novak Djokovic vs. Cam Norrie

It isn’t often that Djokovic appears first up in an OOP, but after Monday’s rain, there’s a lot to get through on Tuesday, and a couple of Italian men on the Centrale schedule who are every bit the draw that the top seed is in Rome

Despite the eye-opening 11:00 A.M. start, Djokovic-Norrie could be a crowd-pleaser of its own. Yes, Djokovic is 2-0 against the British No. 1, and he looks dead set on defending his title here. But even if Norrie doesn’t seriously threaten to win the match, his scrappiness and steadiness should make the rallies long and interesting. Will Djokovic have any reaction to Carlos Alcaraz’s elimination on Monday? Probably not. The six-time champion knows what he’s doing in Rome, and what he needs to do to get to the next level in Paris. Winner: Djokovic

Iga Swiatek vs. Donna Vekic

Swiatek doesn’t make it easy for people like me who are trying to sell her upcoming matches 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 afternoon match Centrale, which was postponed from the previous night? 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

Jannik Sinner vs. Francisco Cerundolo

There’s a tortoise and hare quality to this Italian-Argentine match-up. The 21-year-old Sinner raced up the rankings charts when he was still a teenager, while the 24-year-old Cerundolo has taken the slow and steady route. Sinner is No. 8, and working hard to join the ATP’s Grand Slam-winning elite; Cerundolo is 31st and would seem to have much more room to move higher.

They’ve played two completed matches, and Sinner has won both, though neither were on clay, which may favor the South American. Sinner will have the slightly bigger shots, and the crowd’s backing. But Cerdundolo has a gun for a forehand as well, and he has shown recently that his game can work against higher-ranked opponents. This spring he has beaten Casper Ruud, Cam Norrie, and Felix Auger Aliassime. Winner: Sinner