Overview
- Alexei Popyrin beat Matteo Berrettini 6-2, 6-3 in the Italian Open first round Thursday in Rome to set up a second‑round match with 26th seed Jakub Mensik.
- The win was Popyrin’s first ATP Masters 1000 match victory of 2026 and his first since August 2025.
- Popyrin said a short break after his Madrid loss helped him clear his head after calf and glute problems and a spell of mental burnout.
- Berrettini said he felt sad and lost control of his emotions in front of the home crowd, and the defeat pushed his run to nine straight Masters events without a fourth‑round showing.
- A brief dispute broke out early in the second set when the chair umpire called a let after Popyrin’s string dampener flew off his racket during a rally.