Tennis, lunch with Djokovic at the Internationals of Italy. Wednesday program

ROME – Day of quarterfinals, ai International BNL of Italy. After the match binge on Tuesday, with the last match, the one between Tsitsipas and Musetti which started at midnight and finished at one thirty with the stadium packed (and the brave fans should really be applauded), today there will be only four matches singles, plus doubles. It is played on Center Court and the Grand Stand Arena. Here is the schedule:

Central Field

The start at 13, and the menu presents the most delicious dish (excuse the pun), with the most interesting and awaited game, the one between Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune. It will be the rematch of the Bercy 2022 Masters 1000 final, where the twenty-year-old Dane prevailed in the third set. The comparison is in a draw, because the Serbian in 2021 boasts a victory at the US Open. So on red clay it will be an unprecedented challenge.

Following, but not before 3 pm, the first women’s quarter-final of the upper part of the draw, between the Spanish Paula Badosa and Latvian Elena Ostapenkoworkaholic of the day because later she will also be involved in doubles.

The afternoon program ends here, and then resumes at 19 with the evening one, which includes the Norwegian Casper Ruud face the Argentine Francisco Cerundoloand here comes the lump because Jannik Sinner could have been in his place.

To follow, the last match of the day, women: Iga Swiatek-Elena Rybakina. Perhaps to the general public they are two names that won’t say much, but instead it is a very suggestive match because the reigning champions of Wimbledon (Rybakina) and Roland Garros (Swiatek) face each other. If we then want to add that the latter is also the reigning two-time champion of Rome, we can say that the picture is complete.

Grand Stand Arena

As said, only doubles. Here they are, from 11 we start with Granollers/Zeballos-Ram/Salisbury.

Following: Gauff/Pegula-Aoyama/Shibahara.

Then: Koolhof/Skupski-De MInaur/Kubler.

In the end: Bouxkova/Mattek Sands-Kichenok/Ostapenko.

Happy tennis everyone.